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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.

Tuesday the 11th of June from 12 PM our availability by phone will be very limited. This afternoon we will have our yearly meeting and teambuilding session.
Orders through the website (paid directly or placed in invoice) will be processed as usual, emails will be processed the next day.

Wednesday the 12th of June we will be available by phone from 9 AM again.

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

From 27th of December till the 2nd of January a lot of our (international) staff members have taken a few days off to celebrate the end of the year with their families and friends. In that period our customer service will be very limited.

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. 

Wood and paper packaging is interwoven through our everyday lives in undeniable ways. To ensure the continued availability (for production) of wood products, such as paper and cardboard, it is necessary, next to recycling, to manage forests sustainably. PEFC, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, promotes worldwide sustainable forest management through forest certification and the products that come from (these) certified woods. At Bio Futura we carry various certificates, including PEFC, to provide our clients with insight and assurance that our products are sourced in the most sustainable way. For the purchase of our products, our suppliers have to meet strict requirements regarding sustainability and quality. In this article we focus specifically on PEFC; what does PEFC stand for and how can this internationally recognized certification be obtained? 

Sometimes it looks like the amount of festivals keeps increasing every year. There is something to do every weekend and we also don’t stop in the winter season anymore. Great for the ones that like to go to a party, but it also has an enormous impact on the environment. More and more festival organisations and event management agencies are aware of this and take measures to make their event more sustainable. Usually this happens with some standard solutions, which has some but little impact on the amount of used energy or the amount of waste. Sometimes, the ideas are a lot more original yet simple and they improve the sustainability and increase the awareness.

During the last edition of Empack, one the biggest packaging fairs in the Netherlands, Bio Futura was invited by PEFC, a quality mark for sustainable paper and wood products, to give a presentation about sustainable packaging, the topic was  ‘Green washing or Green business’. This event provided an important opportunity to tell more about the challenges that we face as a sustainable company. An important occasion, because “sustainability” is increasingly used as a catch all for corporate social responsibility or addressing environmental issues. In this presentation we wanted to talk about our company’s core values and share our vision on sustainable entrepreneurship, which will hopefully inspire others.

Tucked away between some other small businesses and a Hema you find a small shop with a fresh look. The mint green building with the yellow sign stands out between the overall sober building in the street. On the window, it clearly shows what you can expect here. Lunchroom, Food shop and “Brood op de Zaak” (Bread for Businesses). Three different components that form the base of Familie van Rijk, with an extra area where you can buy special beers.

The lunchroom and the food shop are founded in 2016, in an old bakery at the Amsterdamsestraatweg in Utrecht (NL). The owner, Raymond & IJsbrand, have known each other for 15 years and have been working together for quite some time. They have been working with us (Bio Futura) for some years now, time to get to know these hard working guys a bit better.

Photo: www.familievanrijk