The Reusable All-Natural Food Wrap

Aco Wrap

OB_190_01

每天做飯時都夾雜著一點點的罪疚感——流理台上小小的垃圾,很快便給塞滿了。洋葱皮、蘿蔔葉子、蝦子殻⋯⋯大堆的廚餘。後來學聰明的,蔬菜的皮可以冷凍起來,儲夠份量便用來做高湯,湯渣不要了,就送到樓下的廚餘處理機,造成肥料。有機垃圾還好,但那些非有機的、向我們見證永恒是何等伸手可及的塑膠垃圾,每次扔掉時都心裡發毛。究竟日本的超級市場,甚麼時候才會放棄用保鮮膜來包裝食物呢⋯⋯?

Seeing how much waste I produce every time when cooking always gives me a slight sense of guilt. The trash bin can quickly get filled up by onion skin, carrot leaves, prawn shell and so on. Luckily, I learned how to use the vegetable peels for vegetable stock and bring the residue to the composter to turn waste into compost. Although I have a solution to organic waste, the everlasting plastic waste that can be seen everywhere is still a tricky question to me. When will the supermarkets in Japan stop wrapping food with cling film?

我們難以控制店舖包裝貨物的方式,但至少能夠改變自己的使用習慣。比起用完即棄的,你會否願意考慮能夠多次重用的保鮮膜?Aco Wrap是日本一個保鮮膜品牌,他們的出品並非由塑膠造成,而是採用全天然的物料——有機純綿、蜜蠟、Jojoba Oil造成。以岐阜縣的蜜蜂巢取得的蜜蠟,混在Jojoba Oil中,泡入綿布,讓油徹底滲透進綿布之中,綿布便會帶有黏付的能力。Aco Wrap能黏在陶瓷製用及琺瑯之上,也可以直接包裹著食物,甚至在遠足旅行時,作為輕巧又環保的碟子。由於蜜蠟及Jojoba Oil都能抗菌,能有效保持食物的鮮度。用過了的Aco Wrap,若髒了的話,可以中性洗劑清洗,不難打理。

Aco Wrap的創辦人其實是在澳洲巧遇過同類型的產品,在他決定將之帶到日本時,希望能夠找到一個方法,能夠有效地抓著日本人的心。因此,除了功能以外,他也注重美感。以草木染及泥染等,純天然的染製方法,為Aco Wrap添上柔和美麗的色彩。

一塊Aco Wrap的黏力,大概可以維持一年左右。在黏力褪去後,如此美麗的布料,還可以用來製作其他日用品吧。

Compared to influencing corporates’ ways of packaging, changing our own habit is a small step that everyone can easily take. Would you consider switching from the one-time disposable cling film to a reusable wrap? Aco Wrap is a Japanese brand that produces eco-friendly food wrap made from all natural materials such as organic cotton, beeswax, and Jojoba oil. The brand would first collect beeswax from Gifu Prefecture, mix it with Jojoba oil and soak a cotton cloth in the mixture. The process would give the cloth material an adhesive quality that can cling to ceramic or enamel surface. The food wrap can as well be used on its own to wrap up some picnic snacks or be turned into a light and handy plate during a trekking trip. Thanks to the antibacterial nature of beeswax and Jojoba oil, the food wrap can help to keep food fresh over a long period of time. Aco Wrap is also convenient to keep as it can be effortlessly washed using a mild detergent.

After encountering a similar product in Australia, the founder of Aco Wrap was determined to give it a new face that can appeal to the Japanese consumers. While retaining the functionality, Aco Wrap provides a variety of beautiful and soft colors from natural dye from plants or mud.

The adhesiveness of Aco Wrap can last for around a year, but seeing how pretty the wrap looks, it is not difficult to give the fabric a second life when it can no longer be used as a wrap.

w