Colegio de Santa Rita de San Carlos, Inc.

AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECT SISTERS

San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
Tel. # Main(034) 312-6212 / Annex (034) 312-5185
Website: csr-scc.edu.ph Email: admin@csr-scc.edu.ph

Name of Student/s GROUP 3:

Leader: Trixie B. Retalla
Stephanie Anne G. Majo
Angelica Faith V. Canlubo
Karmhel Mae B. Mata
Julliana Cassandra R. Mancao
Krystal Ivory G. Baroa
Jilriz Reyn T. Ko
Grade/ Track and Strand Grade 12 - STEM
Proposal Title The Development of Banana (Musa
Acuminata) Pseudo-stem fiber as a
Biodegradable Alternative Commercial Paper
Bag
Background of the Study and Research Gap
 Colegio de Santa Rita de San Carlos, Inc.
AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECT SISTERS
San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
Tel. # Main(034) 312-6212 / Annex (034) 312-5185
Website: csr-scc.edu.ph Email: admin@csr-scc.edu.ph

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The earth’s condition has continued to deteriorate to the point that humanity is unequivocally
facing a climate emergency (Pandey, 2022). Earth faced many environmental problems due to
human activities, massive pollution, and the Industrial Revolution. The distinctive nature of
the present environmental problems is caused more by anthropogenic than natural phenomena.
It is obvious that the devastating effects of all the hazards of the environment affect all aspects
of activities of plant, animal and human diversity.

Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis that poses a huge threat to the health of people
and marine ecosystems worldwide (Salazar et al., 2022). As plastic products continue to be
produced and used globally, marine plastic pollution becomes inevitable and plastic ingestion
of marine organisms and humans is expected to worsen (Akanyange et al., 2022; Markic et al.,
2020). It is reported that over 6.3 billion metric tons of plastic bags are produced in the world
annually and about fifty percent of this volume is for disposal applications, products that are
discarded within a year of their purchase (Alabi et al., 2019). As the world produces billions of
plastics every year, the amount of garbage in the world increases as well. Thus, it can alter
habitats and natural processes that can directly affect millions of people’s livelihoods and social
well-being since plastic contains toxic pollutants that can damage the environment.

Plastic pollution is the increase of plastic products and much more in the Earth's environment
that adversely affects wildlife habitat, and humans. Plastics are inexpensive and durable, and as
a result, levels of plastic production by humans are high. Disposable plastic bags are one of the
items most used by different societies in the world. Thus, around 0.5 to 1 billion plastic bags are
used each year, of which only a very small portion is recycled (Nielsen et al., 2019). This
pollution can afflict land, waterways and oceans (Chauhan & Wani, 2019).

PLASTIC BAGS REGULATIONS ACT OF 2014, it declares the policy of the state to protect
and promote the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology and the right to health.
It also declares the policy of the state to protect the physical, moral and social well-being of its
citizens by ensuring the use of non- toxic and non-hazardous materials in commerce and trade.
Towards this end, the state shall regulate the manufacture, use, recycling, and disposition of
plastic bags.
 Colegio de Santa Rita de San Carlos, Inc.
AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECT SISTERS
San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
Tel. # Main(034) 312-6212 / Annex (034) 312-5185
Website: csr-scc.edu.ph Email: admin@csr-scc.edu.ph

There’s a report that out of all the countries in the world, the Philippines has been identified as
one of the biggest contributors to the global plastic pollution crisis. A study showed that the
Philippines has the highest annual plastic emissions to the ocean in the world (Meijer et al.,
2021). Most of the plastic wastes from the country are disposable, single-use plastics (Paler et
al., 2019). As such, there is a strong need to understand and address the plastic pollution
contributed by the Philippines (Aruta, 2021).

Since, plastic pollution is one of the world's greatest problems that until now is not yet solved.
It would be very beneficial to conduct a study regarding how to create an alternative substitution
for plastic bags through organic materials that can decompose over a short period.

Banana is the common name for any of a genus of tropical, treelike herbs and also for their fruit.
According to Agustyn (2022) of Britannica, species of the genus are native to Southeast Asia
but are now grown extensively in all tropical countries for their fruit and fibre. Half of the world's
Banana crops are grown in Asia and as much of the produce is used locally.

Bananas (Musa) are abundant in our country. Farmers seldom use its stem. Mostly, they are
just after its fruits, but they ignore its other parts. Moreover, a banana’s stem sometimes serves
as a nuisance. To reduce the waste materials coming from bananas, the researchers decided to
collect information about the components of bananas. After gathering information, the
researchers found out that banana Pseudo-stem is the major portion of banana waste biomass
and yields good quality fibre that has the potential for industrial applications in the making of
paper raw material fiber, textiles, paper bags and other composite material (Balda et al., 2021).
Furthermore, it has been reported that banana pseudo-stem fiber has a good modulus of
elasticity, tensile strength and stiffness, which makes it a promising fiber material (Badanayak
et al., 2023).

In addition, the study conducted by Ascaño, labrador, Perez, & Viaña (2020) and Karthika,
Varalakshimi, & Babu (2020) shows that it can be also made as an eco-friendly paper and bag.
It proves that the banana pseudo-stem can be utilized as a new product.

The researchers wanted to determine if there are any available organic materials here in the
Philippines that can serve as alternative substitutes for plastic bags so that they can help reduce
plastic pollution in our country and the community. The researcher sought to know if the waste
materials have the possibility to be used as an alternative to plastic bags. Therefore, the
researcher conducted a study of the capability of banana (Musa acuminata) pseudo-stem fiber
as an eco-bag to solve the problem of plastic bag pollution.

Research Objectives
a. General objectives:

To investigate the potential of utilizing banana (Musa acuminata) pseudo-stem fiber as an eco-
friendly and biodegradable alternative for the production of commercial paper bags.

b. Specific objectives:

Specifically, the researchers attempt to answer the following objectives:

a). To know the properties of banana pseudo-stem that makes it feasible to be used as a main ingredient
for making an eco-bag.

b). To test the banana pseudo-stem as a main ingredient for making a paper bag in terms of:
Texture
Strength, and
 Colegio de Santa Rita de San Carlos, Inc.
AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECT SISTERS
San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
Tel. # Main(034) 312-6212 / Annex (034) 312-5185
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Smell

Hypothesis
Ho. The Banana (Musa acuminata) stem fiber has no significant relationship of an alternative
raw material in producing commercial paper bag

Ha. The Banana (Musa acuminata) stem fiber are significantly effective materials in making
commercial paper bags.

Significance of the Study

This study will discuss the importance of using banana pseudo-stem stem paper bags and its benefits
that can have for both the environment and each individual. The following will be the beneficiaries of
this study:

To the industry. Through this study it can potentially benefit the sector since consumers may now use
cheaper, stronger and high-quality bags in place of plastic. Furthermore, these often have ergonomic
handles, allowing you to easily carry your bags with less hassle.

To the community. The results of this study will assist the community since they are completely
reusable, recyclable, and biodegradable while also being environmentally beneficial and less dangerous
to wildlife. Paper bags may be recycled with less energy than plastic bags.

To the agriculturist. Banana farmers may find additional income streams and sustainable uses for
banana pseudo-stems, potentially improving the overall economic viability of banana cultivation.

To the future researchers. For upcoming researchers, the findings of this study are crucial since they
can be used as a starting point as they work to enhance the qualities of the output from their own research.
The results of this study can be improved upon and used to design a new feature that will be included in
the paper bag.

Research Design
In this study it utilized experimental research design. Specifically, a true experimental was applied under
quantitative research. The experimental method involves the manipulation of variables to establish cause
and effect relationships. The key features are controlled methods and the random allocation of participants
into controlled and experimental groups.
 Colegio de Santa Rita de San Carlos, Inc.
AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECT SISTERS
San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
Tel. # Main(034) 312-6212 / Annex (034) 312-5185
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An experiment is an investigation in which a hypothesis is scientifically tested. In an experiment, an

independent variable (Banana pseudo stem) is manipulated, and the dependent variable (eco bag) is
measured; any extraneous variables are controlled. The process is to experiment, formulate, and gather
information about how the eco-friendly paper bag made from banana pseudo-stem affects the economy.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY MATRIX

Research Locale and Research Research Data Data
Questions Sampling Method Instrument Gathering Analysis
Procedure Procedure

References/Works Cited/Bibliography
Welden, N. A. (2020). The environmental impacts of plastic pollution. Plastic Waste and
Recycling, 195–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-817880-5.00008-6

Yadav, S. K., Banerjee, A., Jhariya, M. K., Meena, R. S., Raj, A., Khan, N., Kumar, S., &
Sheoran, S. (2022). Environmental education for sustainable development. Natural Resources
Conservation and Advances for Sustainability, 415–431. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-
822976-7.00010-7

Okunola A, A., Kehinde I, O., Oluwaseun, A., & Olufiropo E, A. (2019). Public and
Environmental Health Effects of Plastic Wastes Disposal: A Review. Journal of Toxicology
and Risk Assessment, 5(2). https://doi.org/10.23937/2572-4061.1510021

T.D. Nielsen et al. (2019)

Need a bag? A review of public policies on plastic carrier bags–Where, how and to what
effect? Waste Manag.

Islam, M.S., Lee, Z., Shaleh, A. et al. The United Nations Environment Assembly resolution to
end plastic pollution: Challenges to effective policy interventions. Environ Dev Sustain
(2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03639-6

Salazar, C., Jaime, M., Leiva, M., Gonz ́alez, N., (2022). From theory to action: explaining the
process of knowledge attitudes and practices regarding the use and disposal of
plastic among school children. J. Environ. Psychol. 80, 101777.
 Colegio de Santa Rita de San Carlos, Inc.
AUGUSTINIAN RECOLLECT SISTERS
San Carlos City, Negros Occidental
Tel. # Main(034) 312-6212 / Annex (034) 312-5185
Website: csr-scc.edu.ph Email: admin@csr-scc.edu.ph

Akanyange, S.N., Zhang, Y., Zhao, X., Adom-Asamoah, G., Ature, A.R.A., Anning, C., et al.,
(2022). A Holistic Assessment of Microplastics Ubiquitousness: Pathway for Source
Identification in the Environment. Sustainable Production and Consumption.

Aruta, J.J.B.R., (2021). An extension of the theory of planned behaviour in predicting

intention to reduce plastic use in the Philippines: cross-sectional and experimental evidence.
Asian J. Soc. Psychol.

Balda, S., Sharma, A., Capalash, N. et al. (2021) Banana fibre: a natural and sustainable
bioresource for eco-friendly applications. Clean Techn Environ Policy 23, 1389–1401.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-021-02041-y

Pratikhya Badanayak, Seiko Jose & Gautam Bose (2023) Banana pseudostem fiber: A critical
review on fiber extraction, characterization, and surface modification, Journal of Natural
Fibers, 20:1, 2168821, DOI: 10.1080/15440478.2023.2168821