The term bioplastics refers to three types of plastics:
Only the third group represents a truly environmentally friendly alternative to conventional plastics. This is where our NonOilen® products belong.
Compostability is the property of a product that allows it to biodegrade under certain conditions. For example: a NonOilen® product will decompose under industrial compost conditions, i.e. at a temperature of 50 degrees or more, as well as under home compost conditions of 20 to 30 degrees. The conditions depend on the type of material.
Biobased means that the material or product has been derived from biomass, and has therefore been produced from renewable sources and not from petroleum.
Biodegradation (biological decomposition) is the process by which material is metabolized into CO2, water and biomass with the help of microorganisms. This process depends on the conditions (e.g. temperature, humidity, presence of micro-organisms) of the specific environment (e.g. industrial composting plant or soil) and on the material itself.
Compostability is the property of a product that allows it to biodegrade under certain conditions (e.g. at a certain temperature, within a certain time frame). In order to be recovered through composting, a material or product must be biodegradable.
Heat, moisture, oxygen and micro-organisms create the right conditions. At the same time, shredding the material into small pieces can accelerate the decomposition process.
The higher research and development costs of bioplastics also affect the prices of the materials and products made from them. At the same time, relatively low oil prices make it difficult for bioplastics to achieve a competitive price level compared to conventional plastics. However, prices for bioplastics have steadily declined over the last decade.
Moreover, this trend is expected to continue as production capacity increases, supply chains expand, volumes of bioplastics on the market increase, and an increasing number of companies switch to bioplastics. With growing demand and more efficient production processes, the cost of bioplastics will soon be comparable to conventional plastics.
No, a product made from this material will only decompose in a biologically active environment where it has the right conditions to do so.
No. Bioplastics are a large group of materials and this includes bioplastics that, although made from renewable raw materials, are non-degradable. If you want your product to decompose at the end of its life cycle, choose a bioplastic made from renewable raw materials that is biodegradable.
