Fallaleaf - Areca palm leaves become ecoware in Ayamany’s hands

August 30, 2020

Ayamany Sinakalai, an engineer by training is an eco-entrepreneur who turns fallen palm tree leaves into beautiful high quality eco-friendly dinnerware under his brand, Fallaleaf. The homegrown brand is now established locally and abroad. Fallaleaf products meet international quality standards. No chemicals are used and stringent quality control is practised.  Ayamany was troubled when he saw how environmentally harmful it was to have plastic and polystyrene plates and cups littering drains and various other sites. His passion for sustainable living and his concern for the environment led to his quest to find an eco-friendly alternative for disposable tableware. He noticed as he travelled around the country that there were plenty of fallen palm tree leaves in the villages of several states. The idea of converting them into useful dinnerware and other eco-friendly packaging materials took root and he went about doing research to find out how he could do it.

It was quite a steep learning curve as he experimented with the whole train of collecting the palm leaves, sorting them out, drying them and fashioning them into all kinds of items. Finally, in 2012 he rented a factory in Pusat Bandar Puchong, Selangor to commence his business.  His daughter, Kartigha, helps out in the company and works closely with him and is really the mind behind the branding strategies. Presently the factory can produce up to 150,000 pieces of disposable dinnerware a month. There are plans to increase the number of production lines. Fallaleaf products are found in major supermarkets and are also sold online via digital platforms and directly to customers.

In an interview with Malaysia Tatler, Ayamany has this to say to all Malaysians, “support green initiatives or enterprises. It might feel like going green is expensive but if you incorporate green ways slowly in your life, it will make a big impact and spread the bigger message.”


Read more

  1. The Star. Metro Biz. 14 February 2015. Lim Wing Hooi. Environmentally aware dinnerware. https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-biz/2015/02/14/environmentally-aware-dinnerware-company-seeks-to-clean-up-with-tableware-made-from-palm-leaves
  2. Malaysia Tatler. 5 February 2020. Tanya Jayatilaka. Dinnertime just got Greener, Thanks to the Father-Daughter Team behind Eco-Friendly Brand Fallaleaf. https://my.asiatatler.com/dining/father-daughter-team-eco-dinnerware-business-fallaleaf-sustainability-eco-friendly-plates
  3. About Fallaleaf. http://fallaleaf.com/