Spinning sustainable fibre out of unwanted pineapple leaves

AFTER serving 9 years as president and chief executive officer of Indonesian fruit supplier Great Giant Pineapple (GGP), Harold Koh was familiar with agricultural waste but was initially unconvinced when he was told it would be the next big thing.

"I told my friend, 'you are asking me to become a karang guni (scrap dealer)'," said Koh, whose previous experience included more than 10 years in executive roles at General Motors and machinery firm Hiab.

However, the conversations with that person - who is one of the owners of Indonesia coconut specialist Sambu Group - which began in March 2019 subsequently sparked an idea in Koh.