Plastics and fibers made from renewable agricultural products can reduce our dependency on oil and petrochemicals.
" ... Sorona® is made partially with agricultural feedstocks ... reduc
ing our dependency on oil. In addition to fibers and fabrics, Sorona® can be used in films, filaments, engineering resins and other applications."
" ... contains 37% renewably sourced ingredients by weight."
Via: DuPont LINK
DASANI® Water (part of the Coca-Cola Company) is rolling our plant bottles in the western US. These bottles have UP TO 30% plant-sourced plastic and are just as recyclable - 100% - as their normal #1 PET bottles.
" ... Today, the plant-based material is made from sugar cane juice and/or molasses, which is a by-product of producing sugar."
" ... in Denmark, 65 percent of PlantBottle packaging will come from a combination of recycled and plant-based material ... "
" ... Ultimately, our goal is to develop recyclable plastic bottles made from plant-based waste -- thereby turning waste into a resource."
Via: DASANI® LINK
" ... our corporate commitment ... on reducing waste and any harmful environmental impact throughout the manufacturing process or footprint ... we can’t eliminate all activities that affect the environment ... we can focus on the activities that can reduce our environmental impact ..."
"Lili ... is a commitment shared by the leaders and employees of Intertape to continually look for opportunities to lower our environmental impact so sustainability is within reach. We invite you to do the same."
" ... try this suggestion for lowering your impact ... Lower your energy consumption and save money by replacing bulky computer monitors with a flat panel monitor. They use 1/3 of the electricity which is the equivalent to the savings of leaving a 50W bulb burning for one year. "
Via: Intertape Polymer Group LINK
Continue reading "Intertape Polymer Group - Green Packaging and Lili" »
"Green Pack is an importer and wholesaler specializing in environmentally sustainable products. We supply biodegradable and compostable tableware and packaging, and a fantastic new range of non-toxic, petrochemical free wax crayons and paper twine."
"Our product range includes: Areca palm leaf plates, sugarcane fibre (bagasse) tableware, GM-free starch cutlery, plantation timber cutlery, PLA Bioplastic cups and containers, PLA coated coffee cups, paper straws, recycled napkins and lots more..."
"Green Pack caters for a wide range of customers. From wholesalers, hospitality, general business users to schools, hospitals, airlines and the general public. We also specialise in green event supply from the small private event to the supply of large organised public events."
Via: greenpack LINK
" ... Coca-Cola ... unveiled ... a new plastic bottle made partially from plants. The "PlantBottle™" is fully recyclable, has a lower reliance on a non-renewable resource, and reduces carbon emissions, compared with petroleum-based PET plastic bottles."
" ... a significant development in sustainable packaging innovation ... builds on our legacy of environmental ingenuity and sets the course for us to realize our vision to eventually introduce bottles made with materials that are 100 percent recyclable and renewable."
"... made from a blend of petroleum-based materials and up to 30 percent plant-based materials. ... process that turns sugar cane and molasses ... into a key component for PET plastic. ... exploring the use of other plant materials for future generations of the "PlantBottle™."
" ... analysis ... indicates the "PlantBottle™" with 30 percent plant-base material reduces carbon emissions by up to 25 percent, compared with petroleum-based PET... can be processed through existing manufacturing and recycling facilities without contaminating traditional PET. "
Via: Coka-Cola LINK
Scientists at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory may have a new process to produce plastic from plant fibers (cellulose). ... convert glucose directly in high yields to a primary building block for fuel and polyesters," ... ... called HMF, which stands for hydroxymethylfurfural. It is a chemical derived from carbohydrates such as glucose and fructose and is viewed as a promising surrogate for petroleum-based chemicals."
EarthDrive is a "USB thumb drive" made with PLA -polyactic acid) - and is highly recyclable.
" ... built using ... (PLA), resulting in a fully recyclable product. PLA ... polylactic acid) is a biodegradable polyester derived from renewable resources, such as corn. ...
" ... partnership with American Forests' National Tree planting projects ... planting of over several thousand trees already, we have made on ongoing commitment to continue the planting of trees with a portion of the profits generated from the EarthDrive line of products. ..."
Via: EarthDrive LINK
Volvo is designing its cars with an eye to using recycled / non petroleum derived parts and making them easier to recycle when their useful life is over ...
" ... Volvo cars with 'hard' components such as dashboards and ceilings made of flax and cellulose rather than petroleum-based polymers, ... seats using natural fiber and soya-based foam fillings," ..."
" ... bio-fibers also reduce both the weight of a car and the cost of materials,"... Replacing glass fiber with lower density natural fiber can slash the weight of material used in a car by up to 30 percent of the material replaced ..."
" ... 85 percent by weight of a Volvo car is recyclable, with 26 percent comprising plastics and other non-metallic materials. ... uses renewable materials in close to 100 vegetable-based components, mostly sound absorption blocks or mats made of cotton fibers ..."
Via: Volvo LINK
My family and I had Thanksgiving dinner at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Sq, Pa) - a beautiful garden that is getting more into being GREEN and their impact on the planet. As I was eating leftovers I noticed that the plastic container was not the #1, #2 or #5 that I expected ... but #7 (inside a recycling triangle) PLA and was marked as composable.
"PLA stands for polylactic acid, or Polylactide, ... produced by NatureWorks LLC. ... made from lactic acid. Lactic acid is made from dextrose by fermentation. Dextrose is made from starch and starch is made from carbon dioxide and water."
"Ingeo™ biopolymer is the world's first and only performance plastic made from 100% annually renewable resources. Corn-based Ingeo™ biopolymer ... Clear and strong like petroleum-based plastic, yet Ingeo™ biopolymer can be commercially composted."
The label shows the container comes from NatureWorks and is composable. I will see if it decompooses in my mulch pile (may take a while as it is probably inactive in the winter ...)
Look for a future post on my success with composting this ...
Via: NatureWorks LINK
The idea of bio-based plastics has been around for some time. The idea is to use a renewable material, like corn, in place of petroleum based raw materials. Corn and other bio raw materials are abundantly available in the US - where petroleum is not ...
"Metabolix patented technologies combine bioscience and nature to deliver sustainable solutions for the world's need in plastics, chemicals, and energy with unequaled environmental benefits.
"Mirel is a new family of high performance, biobased plastics that are sustainable and totally biodegradable. Made from corn sugar, ... appropriate for a wide variety of conversion processes and applications.
Via: Metabolix LINK
Corn based plastics are finding their way into more everyday items. Samsung is making a cellphone, the W510, that is made with corn based plastic ...
Read on for more >>>
"W510 is Samsung's first mobile phone with 'bio-plastic' made from natural m
aterial extracted from corns. ... Moreover, ...Samsung did not use any heavy metals, such as Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating. "
"Samsung F268 ... does not contain BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC. ... has an alarm function to encourage users to unplug their charger when the devices are fully charged. ...also is following the Energy Star requirements as well,
"...W510 for the Korean market and F268 for the Chinese market will be launched in June"
Continue reading "Samsung - Environmentally Friendly Cell Phone" »
Here is an interesting product ... plastic bottles made from Corn ... bottles that are made from a renewable resource ... 
"Primo is the first nationally available bottled water whose bottle is made from plants, not crude oil! ... a bottle that's friendly to the environment."
" ... Ingeotm, the world's first and only performance plastic made from 100% annually renewable plants. ..."
Disposal options include traditional recycling as well as incineration for power and composting ...
Click HERE to see the 1st of several You Tube Video with details ...
Via: Primo Link
Continue reading "Water Bottles Made from Corn based Plastic..." »
... "With Dow Chemical hiking the price of its plastic products by up to 20% on June1, some types of bioplastics from Cereplast and others already cost less. If oil stays high, bioplastics could capture 20% of the global plastics market ... " ...Via Yahoo! Finance: Bioplastics
Using more sustainable or recyclable materials is one of the next stet PC and laptop makers can do to help make 
their products more friendly ...
"Fujitsu plans to demonstrate a laptop PC with a case manufactured from wood ... The laptop, which is only a prototype, uses cedar wood for the case and also makes use of bio-plastics for parts. ..."
" ... laptop PC carries the names of Fujitsu and Monacca, a Japanese design team that specialises in wooden products ..."
" ... In 2002 it began working ... to produce a bio-plastic and the result of that project can now be seen on Japanese computer store shelves. Fujitsu's Biblo NX95 laptop has a 30 percent bio-plastic case"
Via: PCAdvisor.com Link
Generally I am all for going green. So when I first saw this ... hmmm. But .... there is more to it than meets the eye.
Here is one idea that at first may not make a lot of sense ... but when you consider the life cycle (i.e. how many have a very short life and end up in the can == garbage!) of the average umbrella - it makes sense.
>>>> Read on for all the details ... it is more interesting than it first seems.
I am not so sure makes all that much sense. But I appluad the innovation! A biodegradable umbrella!
"... the "Melt umbrella" ... Under the "correct conditions," it will melt into the soil--or rather, into soil. ... made of garden film, and ... waxed cardboard and bamboo. "... Most umbrellas bite the dust when too many of those metal spines break. And then the whole thing--metal spines, plastic handle and all--gets thrown out. It'll almost certainly break before it would decompose, right? So maybe a biodegradable umbrella is actually a great idea..."
Via: GoodClenTech.com Link
The amount of and type of packaging determines the quantity of material that ends of as trash vs. degradable / recyclable material.
Here is a company that is developing a wide variety of "earth friendly" packaging materials.
Read on for more ...
" ... EarthShell Corporation licenses and commercializes proprietary composite material technology for the manufacture of EarthShell Packaging ... including cups, plates, bowls, hinged-lid containers and sandwich wraps, ... Based on a unique composite technology that combines organics such as starch from potatoes and inorganic materials such as limestone, ... is designed to be high performing and cost-competitive compared to other food service packaging options."
" ... an alternative within the $25 billion market for paper and plastic disposables. ... business model is to license this unique technology to operating partners who will manufacture, market, sell and distribute - EarthShell Packaging products. ... is committed to protecting its unique technology and holds over 100 patents covering material composition, manufacturing processes and product designs to protect the EarthShell technology."
Vision, Mission and Values:
"To make EarthShell Packaging the preferred choice in disposable food service packaging."
A History of Commitment
" ... founders Essam Khashoggi and Simon Hodson were committed to finding environmentally preferable alternatives to ... packaging ... offered by traditional plastic or paper packaging. EarthShell was created from the beginning with a focus on sustainable development ... ".
Via: EarthShell Corporation Link
