Bio FAQS

Bio Cane™ - made from sugarcane (the bagasse of the sugarcane).
Bio Coffee Cup™ - made from sugarcane (bagasse) then coated with a 100% bio based coating made mostly from soy.
Bio Grade 300™ Cutlery - made from GMO free cellulose and limestone.
Bio Wrap™ Bio Based GMO free cellulose.
Compost Liner™ - made from a co-polyester and calcium.
PLA - made from corn.

HOW ARE THESE PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED?

Our goal in working with all our suppliers is to design substrates that can run on conventional equipment.
Bio Cane™ is a pressing operation. This is the only equipment that is not conventional processing equipment. Very similar to some paper production equipment.
Bio Coffee Cup™ is a pressing operation for the shape and then dipped into our Soy based coating.
Bio Grade 300™ Cutlery is an injection molding process.
Bio Wrap™ is extruded on conventional film line equipment.
Compost Liner™ is a blown extrusion process.
NatureWorks® PLA: Cups and "to go" containers are thermal-formed.

What is PLA?

Plastics have made life easier for people, but they have been a source of pollution, taking decades or even centuries to break down in nature. PLA products made by NatureWorks(R) PLA materials is derived one hundred percent from corn starch a natural product and is completely biodegradable. During composting, bacteria & other micro organisms will convert PLA into water and carbon dioxide or methane gas. Also PLA is made from annual renewable resources such as corn and agriculture corps, unlike petrochemical derived plastics.

PLA is a biodegradable plastic and "PLA" stands for polylactide the chemical name of a plastic made from corn. At the end of its product life PLA can be composted naturally, so it comes from nature and goes back to nature thus reducing the burden on landfill. The production process is also cleaner and thus has reduced harmful pollutants emitted into the air.

PLA products are versatile & replace many traditional package alternatives in a broad range of applications. They are clear & provide great optics and high gloss for ideal product display. They are strong, durable & provide superior flavor & aroma barriers to keep food tasting and smelling fresh. Tests show they provide excellent resistance to most oils and fats used in food preparation.

PLA comes from renewable plantation and is 100% biodegrable and compostable.

Natural PLA products have a temperature resistance of between -

20º to 50ºC, and hot PLA products temperature resistance is between -

20º to 80ºC.

Why PLA?

Dwindling petroleum supplies, while consumption is increasing.

Limiting environmental impact, less green house gases produced and it is compostable

Increase price of crude oil

Restrictions imposed by legislation in some countries (e.g. Taiwan, South Korea) some food packaging has to be compostable.

HOW LONG DO THESE PRODUCTS TAKE TO BREAKDOWN, & WHY?

All of the products sold LLC meet the ASTM standards and DIN CERTCO (Europe) for degradability.
The more active and prevalent the microbial life, the faster the material will break down. Combined with heat and moisture Bio Cane™ Bio Coffee Cup™ Bio Grade 300™, Bio Wrap™, Compost Liner™ and Nature Works™ PLA, will break down faster the smaller they are fractured. Jut like any organic material the smaller the piece the faster they degrade.

Bio Cane™, Bio Coffee Cup™ are designed to degrade 100% in a commercial compost facility in 35 to 50 days. Home composting designed to degrade 100% in 60 to 90 days. Marine environment in 40 to 60 days.
Bio Grade 300™ Cutlery is designed to degrade 100% in 60 to 90 days. Home composting 70 to 90 days must be fractured. Marine environment in 70 to 90 days.
Bio Wrap™ is designed to degrade 100% in a commercial compost facility in 40 to 60 days. Will also degrade in home composting in 45 to 75 days and marine environments in 40 to 60 days.
Compost Liner™ is designed to degrade 90% in 45 days and 100% in commercial composting facility in 75 to 90 days. Home composting in 75 to 100 days. Marine environment in 70 to 95 days.
NatureWorks® PLA: Must be fractured, temperature must exceed 125° F and is only recommended for composting in commercial composting facility's or well maintained home composting facility's.

WILL THESE PRODUCTS ACCEPT HOT FOOD & BEVERAGES?

Bio Cane™ will accept hot food and foods can be reheated in a microwave. Heat stable to 420° F. Bio Cane™ also has excellent insulation value so hot foods stay cool to the touch.
Bio Coffee Cup™ will accept hot coffee and will not leak with our Soy based coating.
Bio Grade 300™ is suitable for hot food, soup and can be used in a dishwasher. If placed in a dishwasher if removed immediately the cutlery will be soft but not lose its shape. Just wait a few minutes at room temperature and Bio Grade 300™ will come back to its superior strength, compared to petroleum based products.
Bio Wrap™ films are heat stable to 430° F, allowing for use in a microwave or conventional oven. Great for lidding for prepared meals and Popcorn bags for microwave.
Compost Liner™ is heat stable to 240° F allowing hot food, hot coffee and the coffee grounds to be placed directly into the bag with no degrading. Try this with other bags that meet ASTM standard of compost ability - and you'd better be over a sink!
Nature Works® PLA: Not suitable for hot food. Must be stored and transported in no higher than 110° F.

What is the Symbol for compost ability?
At this time there are 6 symbols to represent the most popular plastics. All other products fall under the #7 symbol that represents OTHER.

Some of the biggest advantages of switching from traditional rigid containers to flexible stand up pouches or barrier bags for products are a reduction in production costs and an increase in shipping or transportation efficiencies. Stand up pouches also help companies build their brand image and distinguish themselves in a crowded retail landscape full of competing products. We live in an age where people crave convenience, and a lightweight, reclosable stand up pouch with an easy-open tear notch is much easier to open, close, and take on the go than a hefty box, jug, or jar.

Pouches offer value to the end user because they keep food fresh and increase a product’s shelf life, and they reduce slack fill, a.k.a. difference between the actual capacity of a container and the volume of its product thus getting the most “bang for their buck” . Flexible retail packaging has its positive environmental impact as much less fuel is required to transport a truckload of flexible pouches than heavy glass jars, for example, which cuts down on carbon emissions. Contrary to popular belief, pouches can also be recycled with other R-7 coded plastics. Unfortunately, not every consumer recycles, and it’s up to brands to properly communicate the importance of taking care of the environment to their customers.

We’re often asked by brand owners to help them select a type of flexible packaging that is sustainable, eco-friendly, and recyclable. Kraft stand up pouches are some of our best-selling packaging for environmentally conscious brands because their brown paper exterior visually communicates a more natural product, and the pouches can be flattened after use, taking up less space in trash cans and landfills.

A customer recently asked, "I spoke with you maybe a week ago about wanting to try some kraft bags. I would prefer recyclable materials."
There are a few things to remember when dealing with any stand up pouch, printed or plain: Stand up pouches are made from laminated barrier films, meaning different layers of film are sealed together to create a structure that can be formed into a stand up pouch or any other type of flexible bag, while creating barrier properties to keep the contents fresh.

A stand up pouch made from kraft material that is laminated to other layers of film IS recyclable and landfill friendly. To be clear, kraft — once it is laminated — is NOT biodegradable, but it is recyclable. There are many good reasons why these pouches are not biodegradable, and they have to do with how well the product inside is protected.

To biodegrade, packaging has to be able to break down when exposed to light and air. However, one of the biggest advantages of using kraft stand up pouches for product packaging is that their laminated layers of barrier film and opaque finish block out light and air, which extends the shelf life of food and protects it from spoilage or contact with harmful outside contaminants.

This is the difference between your standard brown paper bag and a kraft stand up pouch. You wouldn’t expect food in a paper lunch bag to stay fresh at room temperature for an entire week. But in a food-grade, FDA-approved, reclosable kraft stand up pouch, food products will stay fresh because air, moisture, light, and pests are locked out for an extended period of time.

We understand both consumers and the brands they purchase from want to do their part to protect our environment. As such, we are proud members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, which recognizes and works with companies to create more sustainable packaging. The SPC created the How2Recycle label, which leading brands like Procter & Gamble, Target, Nestle, and Walmart have embraced for their branded products and print right on the packaging. This label is so important because, let’s face it: It’s not enough to use recyclable packaging. Brands MUST educate consumers on the where’s, why’s, and how’s of recycling it.

It can be a challenge to get consumers to recycle your packaging, but by understanding that flexible stand up pouches can be recycled (and custom printed to include the How2Recycle label and other sustainability initiatives), brands will be on their way toward bettering the environment and reaching a large base of eco-minded consumers.

One of the most frequently asked questions about our stand up packaging is related to whether our pouch bags are biodegradable and recyclable. However, before we answer that question, we usually need to tell clients about the distinction between the definition of "biodegradable" and "recyclable". A material is defined as being biodegradable if it naturally breaks down in the environment over a fairly short span of span. Materials that can be recycled are those that are broken down by various processes and then used to make new products out of plastic, glass, metal, or paper.

Since we need to make packaging that can last on a store shelf or in a warehouse, we can't make packaging that is biodegradable. Otherwise, it would eventually degrade and might fall apart while the product is on the shelf. However, although our creative food packaging is not biodegradable, it is certainly recyclable. All of our stand up bags and barrier film bags are made with materials that can be brought to recycling centers and made into new plastic-based products. In addition to being suitable for recycling, our packaging solutions are also very landfill friendly. They are well suited for landfills because the lightweight materials and small amount of plastic that goes into each bag takes up very little space.

Oxo-degradable Plastic Packaging
Originally marketed as an eco-friendly packaging material, new evidence regarding the potentially negative impact of oxo-degradable plastics has led a number of companies and governments to restrict their use.
More than 150 companies and global organizations, have recently endorsed a total ban on the material in light of its potentially negative environmental impact.

Oxo-degradable plastic packaging, which includes select plastic pouch bags, is often marketed as a solution to plastic pollution because it claims to degrade into harmless residues within a period ranging from a few months to several years. However, oxo-degradable plastics do not degrade into harmless residues, but instead, fragment into tiny shards of plastic that actually contribute to plastic pollution.

Often, consumers think that because a material is biodegradable, it can be composted or even littered on the ground, because, it is thought, the material will break down into nothing over time. This actually ends up leading to an increase in pollution, since consumers don’t end up recycling or repurposing the material, and misconceptions about how the plastic will degrade leads them to end up putting it back into landfills.

What is important to note in this case is that although oxo-degradable plastics are biodegradable, being biodegradable does not necessarily mean that a material is eco-friendly. Although these plastics do break down over time, the tiny pieces they break down into are still plastics that contribute to pollution — they do not degrade into nothing or into another usable substance.

For companies looking to make the switch to sustainable packaging, it is important to consider that sustainable packaging does not necessarily mean biodegradable packaging, and vice versa.