Countries are banning disposable eating utensils and drinking straws to prevent plastics from polluting oceans and harming marine life.

Fastfood restaurants, heavy users of single-use plastic cups, forks, knives and spoons, are trying alternatives that are made from environment-friendly materials like paper and wood. One challenge, however, as one restaurant in Hong Kong experienced, is biodegradable spoons that get misshapen when scooping into a bowl of noodle soup.

“The utensil appeared to bend from the neck down as the diner got halfway through the bowl and soon afterwards reached a point where it became useless,” South China Morning Post reported on a diner’s experience at the Cafe de Cora.

Hong Kong food safety expert Vicki Fong Lai-ying advises makers of eco-friendly cutlery to properly label their products to indicate their heat tolerance.

Meanwhile, old or worn-out traditional metal spoons are being recycled to prevent them from ending up as waste.

Designer Ellen Hodakova Larsson of Sweden is one adherent of sustainability in fashion with focus on upcycling heirlooms like antique spoons. One of her creations made up of 102 antique spoons was featured at the recent “Borderlands” fan event in Los Angeles, California, USA.

The Australian star of the movie, Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett, wore the halter top made of spoons during the event, reported CNN.

Rare as it seems, Hodakova is not alone in promoting cutlery couture. Turkey-born, London-based designer Dilara Findikoglu handcrafted a show-stopping gown out of antique knives that has since been worn by stars such as Emma Corrin and Hari Nef, according to CNN.