#Costa Rica

🍍 A country barely larger than Lower Saxony plays a major role in the global pineapple market.

We’re talking about Costa Rica. The small Central American country is by far the world’s largest exporter of fresh pineapples, accounting for around 44% of global pineapple exports. Every year, well over one million tonnes of fresh pineapples are exported from Costa Rica to more than 40 countries, primarily to the United States and Europe. 📦

But this enormous scale of production has a downside. Only the fruit is harvested, while the plant itself initially remains in the field. A pineapple plant produces only two fruits during its lifetime. After the second harvest, the plant is no longer commercially viable and has to be completely removed from the field. This leaves behind huge amounts of biomass that need to be cleared before the land can be cultivated again.

Until now, these residues have often been chemically dried and burned, sometimes using highly toxic substances such as paraquat, which has long been banned in the EU but continues to be widely used in pineapple-growing countries such as Costa Rica. This costs time, money and valuable resources.

At eco:fibr, we turn residues from pineapple plants into high-quality fibers and fines that can be used in industrial applications such as paper, packaging, construction and molded fiber.

Beyond their unique storytelling potential, our fibers offer a range of functional benefits:

• High bulk

• Energy-efficient bonding development with the potential to reduce refining energy requirements

• Open-pore and air-permeable structure

• Intentionally rough texture and distinctive appearance for differentiated product concepts with high opacity

In addition, our fibers are ISEGA-certified and suitable for food contact.

Turning Waste Into Purpose 🌱