The world of green products is riddled with many words that at times it can be confusing. So, Here at Eco2Bureau we decided to explain some of the terms that we use. If you have any questions, please feel free to drop us a line, and we will be happy to discuss this with you.
Bagasse
Bagasse is the industry term for sugar cane pulp. It is used in the food service industry as a replacement for tree pulp. It opened doors to consider using multiple fibers in cardboard type products, which allows for society to back away of depending on and using only one source of fiber.
Poly Lactic Acid – PLA
Poly Lactic Acid is a compostable plastic, made from sugar. It is made from corn sugar, but could be made form other sources of sugar such as cane sugar and beet sugar. It is certifiably compostable, and to attain this, the plastic must be in a composting system that will reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This is mainly found in industrial scale composting systems.
Soy Based Wax
Wax that is made from soy bean oils is transformed into wax. This wax is completely compostable, as is petroleum based wax. The reason for using soy based wax is so that we are using an alternative source of raw material for the wax, instead of petroleum. This allows us to diversify, and reduce our dependence of petroleum.
Recyclable
This is a product that can be recycled. This does not mean that this product comes from recycled materials.
Recycled
This is a products that is made form at least in part, by recycled materials.
Compostable
This is defined as a material that will breakdown into carbon dioxide and water with out leaving toxic by-products, in a similar time frame as when cellulose degrades.
Oxo-Degradable
A plastic resin that has a chemical additive so that the plastic will degrade over time when exposed to oxygen. This does not break down completely. It only breaks down into a large volume of tiny plastic pieces. It eliminated the visual pollution, and creates a hidden pollution.
Biodegradable
The definition of biodegradable is similar to compostable, but it differs in that it does not require a time frame for degradation and is not concerned with the possibility of leaving toxic by-products.
