Larkspur, CA — A company that developed a container lid that converts into a paper spoon has created a new paper-based item, the EcoTensil, a spoon that is made out of foldable paperboard.
The company, SpoonLidz, is touting the EcoTensil as "the first highly functional eating utensil incapable of being used to cause harm" as well as a lower-impact, and cheaper, alternative to plastic or bio-based spoons.
The EcoTensil is made out of moisture-resistant paperboard, like a milk carton, which is accepted in some recycling streams. The company is aiming to move to Forest Stewardship Council certified sources of paper and is in talks with manufacturers of polylactic acid (PLA) hot cups in hopes of using PLA-coated paperboard in future iterations of the EcoTensil.
The EcoTensil is already being used by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities as a way to provide inmates and patients with utensils that cannot be used to cause harm to themselves or others.