By Kreetika Kumar, Multimedia Journalist, FBC News – 14 June 2020

kkumar@fbc.com.fj | @KreetikaFBCNews

Star Printery, a family-owned company has decided to absorb the impact of COVID-19 and retain all staff.

The company is however, driving its sales team harder due to challenges posed by the pandemic.

Star Printery Director Sandeep Chauhan says they first looked at the cost element to reduce expenses and avoid layoffs.

“As an employer we are responsible to keep the unemployment level to a minimum and we can only do that if we start thinking outside the box and start investing in our own country and employing our people and manufacturing all the products that used to be imported.”

The company had diversified its production line before COVID-19 and introduced eco-friendly paper products.

“The timing was bad or good but we have done a lot of paper made products. So whether it be paper bags, shopping, takeaway boxes, paper plates, paper cups, and takeaway boxes replacing Styrofoam boxes and they are all Fijian Made.”

Chauhan says they are taking more responsibility for their actions and decisions.

With the widespread use of plastic damaging the environment the company has been offering an alternative to straws, cups, plastics, and Styrofoam take away boxes – which takes more than 100 years to decompose.