written by Chua Kai-Ning, 25, Co-founder & Chief Marketing Director of Insectta

“Insectta was founded on the belief that disposal is not the end of a product’s life. At our farm, Black Soldier Fly larvae and innovative technologies are used to convert food waste into biomaterials, which can then be used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. These tiny bugs have an amazing recycling ability!

At a very young age, I was taught the importance of prolonging the life of products. This was largely influenced by my grandfather’s work as a karang guni (rag and bone) man. I’ve grown up believing that there is no such thing as “waste” – only wasteful ways of producing.

We know many are still hesitant about the industrial use of insects. Part of our mission is to change this misperception. These harmless insects are different from typical pests. Unlike cockroaches or rodents, Black Soldier Flies don’t thrive in urban conditions and will most likely die outside of controlled conditions. There is really very little cause for concern about the risk of infestation.

As this industry is still relatively new, we have been working closely with the government to develop this industry for the benefit of our environment and the economy. This is our way of supporting the SG Green Plan.

I’m optimistic that more people will shift towards a circular economy mindset, instead of seeing a linear lifecycle of products. This is crucial to change the way we make everyday decisions that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. As we often say at Insectta, “the only way forward is to soldier on!” (source: Gov.sg)