Harco Announces Use of Biodegradable Plastic
Harco Enterprises Ltd., based in Peterborough Ontario since 1964, is pleased to be on the leading edge of Canadian-based manufacturers to venture into the areas of a viable alternative for conventional oil-based plastics with a new bio-plastic product.
Harco has been working to research all of the elements that are required to undertake such a project. They have considered the supply-and-demand aspects; as well as the marketing approach to bring this product to market. Harco started offering its biodegradable plastic as an economically viable alternative to traditional plastic in their production process, to their existing client base in December of 2007.
Harco’s bio-plastic is called NaturesPlast©. Harco manufactures custom and proprietary injection-moulded items, offering a complete service from design, mold creation, product manufacturing and imprinting. Currently their product line includes rulers, incentive products, branded drink stirs and picks; spoons, bowls, flying discs, tags, small boxes and sectioned containers. NaturesPlast© allows Harco to offer an exciting, environmentally friendly option for much of their existing product line, as well as having the potential for new opportunities in other sectors such as medical, education, environmental and industrial.
NaturesPlast Facts:
• Is made from plant starch, a fully renewable resource
• Is fully biodegradable when composted
• Has no chemical residues
• Is disposable with food waste; no separation required
• Performs, looks and feels like fossil fuel-based plastics
Harco feels NaturesPlast brings a safe and responsible option to the plastic injection industry for environmentally conscious clients. The resin is made from plants such as corn, wheat, potato and tapioca starches as opposed to oil. For this specific injection moulding application, it is also using poly lactic acid (PLA) a natural polymer; which is a versatile polymer made from lactic acid, derived from the fermentation of dextrose (or glucose). The resin used in NaturesPlast products is a plastic made from 100 percent annually renewable resources.
NaturesPlast environmental benfits:
• Sustainable, without relying on fossil fuels
• Raw ingredients are agricultural starches (corn, potatoes or other renewable plants)
• Biodegradable in 60 to 180 days in an industrial compost facility
• Requires less petroleum to produce and emits less carbon dioxide
• Meets the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) & European Bioplastics standards for compostability
For Harco, these renewable resources ensure that the cost of production remains constant while creating a material that is phthalate-free, latex-free, asbestos-free, gluten-free and does not contain any heavy metals. It is also compostable under controlled conditions resulting in a safe and environmentally friendly plastic material for a variety of applications including the food service industry.
For more information on NaturesPlast, visit www.naturesplast.com.
- Companies:
- Harco Enterprises