Sustainability News

Find our first part of answers to frequently asked questions on composting. Learn more about composting, compostable disposables and packaging, and circular disposal: how to turn waste into useful (local) resources, how you can help your business to reduce its environmental impact and take an active part in the circular economy!

The German Witzenhausen Institute and the University of Bayreuth stated in a recent study that compostable bioplastic bags, certified according to the European standard EN 13432, do not pose any problems to the quality of the compost.

For over ten years, Bio Futura has been offering a wide range of sustainable alternatives to traditional plastic disposable tableware. Next to that, we are working on circular solutions for our sustainable disposables. In line with our vision and mission, we only offer compostable disposables and packaging made from renewable resources without compromising on quality. Together with our partners and customers we are actively driving the transition towards a low-carbon circular economy by preventing plastic waste. As Bio Futura is thoughtfully taking actions in this direction and because of strong customer demand, we have recently introduced an additional product line of biobased reusable durables. The marketplace has finally proven to be ready for sustainable durables. This new product category contributes to phase out single use - oil based - plastics and fits perfectly with our existing philosophy and know-how.

Let's talk about compostability and what you can do at home, yourself, everyday, no excuses: Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up more than 28 percent of what we throw away, and should be composted instead. No bio-waste should end up in normal waste, where the valuable nutrients are destroyed in the incinerator or landfills, contributing to methane gas production, a potent greenhouse gas.

Certified wood and bamboo are currently important sustainable raw materials that can be used as an alternative to plastic for the production of disposable tableware and packaging.

From the 8 billion metric tons of plastics which have been produced since the 1950’s hardly 10% has been recycled. Recycling of plastic waste is problematic in general, but this pertains especially to the highly polluted, fragmented mix of household plastics. To make anything useful out of this diverse stream is increasingly becoming a herculean task. With the global production of plastic set to double within the next 15 years we need swift and concrete solutions. Marginal gains won’t get us out of this recycling mess. Fortunately, there are ways to solve it and biobased materials are part of the answer.

Thorough research commissioned by Italian bioplastics manufacturer Novamont shows that Mater-Bi, which is produced by the company, will completely biodegrade in the marine environment. Despite the presented evidence of Mater-Bi’s biodegradability, Novamont is, however, keen to stress that this is not an excuse for the improper disposal of Mater-Bi packaging or bioplastics products in general.

The amount of plastic waste in oceans and seas is growing rapidly and causes widespread concern. On 28 May 2018, the European Commission presented a comprehensive set of measures in the new single-use (SUP) directive to address the important issues of littering and marine pollution, with the additional objective to stimulate the circular economy.

Our view

We are happy to share that our pretty little sugarcane bowl Carice was included in the test.

Something you might have experienced before on the beach: just as you plant your feet in the sand, you start to feel little pieces of plastic between your toes. This is actually a substantial part of marine litter; you can’t see it but you can feel it. A recent scientific study found that every kilogram of European sand contained on average 250 microplastics: fragments smaller than 5 mm. There are even traces of significantly smaller plastic fragments, called nanoplastics. Ironically, these tiny bits of plastic cause the greatest problems.  All different types and sizes of plastic form the plastic soup. The world’s ever increasing use of plastics has created large areas of floating plastic waste in rivers and oceans and many of these plastics break down into smaller fragments. Our demand for plastic does not only have devastating consequences for the oceans, but marine wildlife is also affected by plastic pollution. It appears that fish tend to mistake the scent of plastic for food and ingest it on purpose. Because the vast majority of plastics is not biodegradable, let alone (bio)degradable, it will remain in the environment for a long time. Through various ways, for example by eating fish and shellfish, these small fragments of plastic have entered our food chain and our bodies.