Banana is a particularly versatile plant; not only is it a food source, but the leaves of the plant have been utilized for food packaging and as a surface for serving a meal.

In the 135 countries with tropic and sub-tropic climates where bananas grow, the leaves are plentiful and sustainable. It’s thick, durable, flexible and waterproof, and food can even be cooked inside of the leaves, which imparts a subtle, sweet flavor. Even with the advent of plastic and aluminum, this organic and sustainable packaging is both old school and new school cool.

Recently, Rimping Supermarket in Chiangmai, Thailand decided to skip out on the single-use plastics and is now trialing banana leaves as produce packaging.