A staff member checks the samples of degradable tableware products on display at a product showroom of a local new material enterprise in Lincang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)by Xinhua writers Wu Yan, Chen XinboKUNMING, April 23 (Xinhua) -- In a factory located in an industrial park in southwest China, the roaring sound of machinery intertwined with the fragrance of sugarcane as truckloads of grayish-brown bagasse were being transported to the production line.The bagasse, after undergoing a series of processes such as refining, modification and molding, was transformed into eco-friendly tableware. From Gengma, a border county in Yunnan Province, it will travel across the oceans and make its way onto foreign dining tables.Gengma, the largest sugar-producing county in Yunnan, has a sugarcane planting area of 400,000 mu (about 26,667 hectares) and produces some 280,000 tonnes of sugar annually, with a total of 120,000 farmers -- more than half of the county's total -- involved in the industry.However, in the past, locals were burdened by more than 400,000 tonnes of bagasse produced every year during the sugar pressing process. Most of the bagasse could only be treated by incineration or composting, resulting in environmental pollution and resource waste.Local enterprises tried to make bagasse into pulp board for sale. However, due to the short industrial chain and low value of pulp products, it made little economic sense.Workers load degradable tableware products into a cart at a new material enterprise in Lincang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)This dilemma ushered in a turning point in 2018, when a business delegation from Shanghai discovered the commercial opportunity presented by bagasse during their visit to Gengma. The cellulose and lignin in bagasse are high-quality industrial raw materials, making it suitable for reuse.In 2019, Ecocycle New Materials (Yunnan) Co., Ltd. settled in Gengma's industrial park, setting up standard production lines to convert bagasse into biodegradable tableware.Eliminating pollution and minimizing the generation of plastic waste, this eco-friendly tableware made from bagasse has been favored by global markets since its launch."Our biodegradable tableware is mainly for export. Our products are targeted at markets such as the European Union (EU) and the United States. Currently, orders have been scheduled until this September," said Xiong Xiaoqin, a manager with the company.She added that the production process strictly follows EU standards, and the product can be completely biodegraded in just three months at normal temperatures.This project not only effectively digested the large amount of bagasse produced by local sugar enterprises during the sugar extraction process, but also formed a complete closed loop of "production -- manufacturing -- bagasse reuse" by extending the industrial chain, achieving the maximization of product value.An aerial drone photo taken on April 15, 2025 shows a new material enterprise leveraging sugercane bagasse to produce eco-friendly degradable tableware in Lincang City, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)In the past, the output value of pulp board made from bagasse barely topped 3,000 yuan (about 416 U.S. dollars) per tonne. However, after further processing into molded products, the output value per tonne increased to about 20,000 yuan, and can even reach up to 100,000 yuan. The significant increase in industrial value optimizes resource allocation and even allows residents to find employment locally."After the company started operation, it created employment for 200 locals, and the employees' income can be as high as 9,000 yuan per month," said Tong Qinrong, chairman of Ecocycle New Materials (Yunnan) Co., Ltd.