WHAT was once agricultural waste is now a source of income for Filipinos, thanks to a banana-leaf–based invention by chemist and educator Julienne Stephanie Fabie-Agapin.
Through Unas Canvas (UnVas)—an eco-friendly canvas and lifestyle material made from dried banana leaves—Fabie-Agapin, a University of the Philippines Visayas–trained chemist, is addressing both livelihood gaps and sustainability concerns.
The initiative, supported by the Department of Science and Technology–Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DOST-TAPI), did not originate in a laboratory but emerged from a real-world challenge faced by displaced workers and agricultural communities.
In 2021, Ms. Agapin, an associate professor at Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) – Pagadian was approached by Mr. Jimmy Sorabia, chairperson of a cooperative for displaced OFWs. He sought support from the Department of Science and Technology and was referred to Ms. Fabie-Agapin, who was leading a DOST-funded project on bioplastics made from agricultural waste while also collaborating with persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) on handmade paper-making for livelihood. Mr. Sorabia challenged her to create a marketable product using dried banana leaves, an abundant agricultural waste often burned or left to rot, releasing harmful chemicals. Recognizing its potential for both environmental and social impact, Fabie-Agapin partnered with Sorabia and began experimenting with the material, eventually creating UnVas, a durable, paper-like sheet that could be transformed into home goods, accessories, and wearables.
“The unas or dried banana leaves,the usual thing that they do there is to burn it or they are allowing it to degrade on their own, thereby releasing harmful chemicals in the process. So, with our initiative, instead of burning our dried banana leaves, we were able to convert it or to upcycle it into a material that becomes a source of income for our partner communities,” Fabie-Agapin shared. UnVas empowers partner communities to produce sustainable products such as accessories, home goods, and wearables.
Agapin’s invention competed on the global stage with the support of DOST-TAPI’s Science and Technology Promotion for International Contest and Exhibits (SPICE) Program, winning a Silver Award at the 2024 Korea International Women’s Invention Exhibition (KIWIE). She was also part of Cohort 3 of DOST-TAPI’s Honing Innovations, Research, Agreements, and Negotiations of Government-Funded Technologies (HIRANG) 2.0, a program that provides consultancy, capacity-building, and financial support to enhance the investment readiness of spin-offs and startups based on DOST-generated and funded technologies.
