Plastic satchel producer Biogone has seen growth in demand for e-commerce packaging, spurred on by a change in consumer purchasing as a result of the global pandemic. To help combat the e-commerce plastic packaging waste produced, the company has developed landfill-biodegradable and home compostable mailing satchels.
The satchels come in three sizes, and according to Biogone, will biodegrade approximately 20 times faster than conventional mailing satchels, and will biodegrade down to organic fertiliser – producing no microplastics. The satchels are also recyclable with soft plastics and comes in two ranges (landfill-biodegradable and home compostable).
“The biggest advantage of Biogone plastics is that since approximately 85 per cent of plastic waste goes to landfill, then it makes sense now that this is where action needs to be targeted,” explains Ross Headifen, Biogone managing director.
“Biogone plastics can be discarded in the same manner as people are used to for disposing of their plastic waste, except that Biogone plastics will be gone after a number of years. For example, our landfill-biodegradable satchels are designed to biodegrade away in a microbe rich environment like a modern landfill, with the microbes eating away at the product away over a few years,” Headifen says.
“It will take many years of industry and public behaviour change to change their processes and habits, meanwhile, Biogone activity will be working away in the background to break the plastic down.”
The home compostable satchels are made with a plant-based materials that will break down in a few months when disposed to a landfill or to either a home or commercial compost facility. These satchels are certified to Australian Biodegradability Standard (AS 5810), however not recyclable.
“To get home compostable materials to meet an Australian standard we have to get approval from the Australian Bioplastics Association (ABA),” Headifen says.
“A home compostable material with the AS 5810 certification is guaranteed to biodegrade under the home compost conditions as certified by ABA. Hence, we worked with our suppliers to make sure the material they made the satchels were approved by the ABA.
“This gives our customers assurances that the material is as stated and not a baseless suppliers’ claim. The home compostable materials are not compatible with a conventional plastic like PE or PP, so we can’t mix a home compostable material with a conventional plastic for recycling.”
The satchels have a double seal, therefore, does not require extra plastic packing for any e-commerce returns. These options give customers more time to focus on what they are sending and less on where their waste ends up.
