Disposable Bagasse Eco-friendly Food Container/Bowl (Biodegradable)

An overseas customer *** (a distributor in California, USA) placed an order in March 2024 for 80,000 sets of biodegradable disposable plates (model: BP-9 inch), shipped in 4 x 40HQ containers to the Port of Los Angeles. During random inspection after receipt, the customer found that approximately 12,000 sets had obvious color differences (inconsistent color between batches, some with a yellowish-green tint), and approximately 3,500 sets had fine cracks on the edges, with breakage occurring during stacking and handling. The customer immediately sent a warehouse unboxing video with time stamps and a preliminary third-party inspection report, demanding a full return of the batch and compensation for related customs clearance and warehousing costs. Upon verification, the color difference was caused by our pulp raw material supplier change without timely adjustment of the dyeing process, while the edge cracking was related to mold temperature fluctuations during the thermoforming process.

Our company immediately activated the after-sales plan for key accounts: ① Within 48 hours, arrange a video conference between quality engineers and the customer to confirm the defective product ratio and retain sealed samples; ② For color difference issues, as they do not affect safety of use, negotiate with the customer to directly refund 15% of the defective quantity, and provide equivalent discount on the next batch order; ③ For the 3,500 sets of dinnerware with edge cracking, agree to the customer's on-site destruction and, after providing destruction certificates, our company will free-issue 5,000 sets (including 30% safety margin), with sea freight borne by us; ④ Simultaneously urgently adjust production parameters, conduct full inspection of raw material batches, and commission SGS to issue a new test report to be shipped with the replacement container; ⑤ For the customer's incurred port detention charges and warehouse rental fees, reimburse up to USD 2,800 upon presentation of receipts.

Feedback from a buyer in ***: 500,000 sets of biodegradable disposable plates and lunch boxes passed sampling inspection before leaving the factory, but after sea freight to the destination port in ***, warehouse sampling found about 12% of the lunch box edges had fine cracks. The customer suspects product embrittlement and requires a full return and compensation claim. Due to the high value of the goods and the customer's urgent need to ship to local distributors, an urgent remote diagnosis of the cause and a handling plan is required.

Our technical engineers, through video connection and the customer-provided photos of cracked samples and on-site temperature/humidity data, remotely guided the customer to conduct three-point verification: 1) Compare the flexural toughness of the cracked sample with the same batch retained sample after standing for 24 hours in a normal-temperature dry environment; 2) Check whether the container retains traces of high humidity and whether it was mixed with acidic cargo; 3) Perform thermogravimetric analysis on the cracked area. The final judgment was that abnormally low temperatures (below -5°C) during sea transport caused increased brittleness of the PLA material, not a batch quality defect. Our engineers remotely guided the customer to move the container to a 25°C constant-temperature warehouse for 48 hours, and turn over and ventilate each pallet, while arranging technicians to guide operators via video to perform local rapid repair of minor cracks using a food-grade heat gun.