The Philippines’ pineapple industry is giving agricultural waste a second life through pinyapel®, a specialty paper made from locally sourced pineapple leaves. Led by the Design Center of the Philippines, the initiative is transforming discarded leaves into sustainable materials for design and manufacturing.

The project began in 2018, bringing together farmers, pulp processors, paper producers, and packaging manufacturers to explore the potential of pineapple leaves. In 2019, pinyapel® received a D&AD Future Impact Award, recognizing its innovative approach to addressing sustainability challenges.

The Design Center has since pushed the material toward industrialization through partnerships and initiatives, including the pinyapel® Flagship Project at the Sustainability Solutions Exchange (SSX) and the pinyapel® Investors Forum with the DTI-Competitiveness and Innovation Group.

From Agricultural Waste to Everyday Products

At the Sustainability Solutions Exchange 2026, happening October 15–17 at the Philippine Trade Training Center, 10 product development partners will showcase pinyapel® applications under guest creative director-curator Stanley Ruiz.

The material is being explored for furniture, décor, packaging, footwear, and industrial products. Examples include Lakat shoes, OMO Furniture chairs, Tadeco Home lamps, and accent pieces by Oro Handmade Innovations. Food-contact-grade containers, servers, and specialty paper products are also among its applications.

Building a More Circular Future

A proposed pulp mill in Mindanao could further expand the initiative. Identified by the Global Green Growth Institute and Korea International Cooperation Agency as a potential large-scale agricultural waste-to-biomaterials project for submission to the Green Climate Fund, the facility is designed to process 20 metric tons of non-wood pulp from pineapple leaves.

Once established, the mill could benefit thousands of pineapple farmers while creating new opportunities for locally developed sustainable materials.

Pinyapel® demonstrates how collaboration among government, industry, manufacturers, and creatives can turn agricultural waste into valuable products with distinctly Filipino roots.

Learn more at pinyapel.carrd.co or contact [email protected] and [email protected].