URGENT INFORMTAION REGARDING OUR PACKAGING:
I have been searching high and low to find a bio-degradable alternative to the plastic protective slips that cover my cards, initially I was not going to submit my cards to an exhibition in August as I could not find anything except for petroleum-based plastic to do the job.
I eventually found a company in Victoria who claimed to sell cellophane bags, after some research I discovered that cellophane is a plant-derived cellulose substitute to plastic and can be degraded in 10-60 days (according to various sources and depending on conditions). I was ecstatic and called the company to order. I spoke to a lovely, helpful woman there and she ensured me that they were in fact cellophane. The order came in the post the next day and everything seemed fine and so I have been using the bags since.
Last night, while doing a report on the health and safety of my items and the disposability of the packaging I re-read their website and this is where things unravelled.
On the page for their cellophane bags the website states:
"Present your gift cards, photographs, artwork or invitations professionally in these crisp, clear, resealable cellophane bags.
They are the highest quality, food grade polypropylene with a seal that is genuinely reusable!
Small orders of cellophane bags welcome. We sell our re-sealable cello bags in packs of 100 & 500."
"Use the tiny poly bags for candy, the larger ones to package hand made cards or to send your invitation instead of an envelope. Why not? Think of the magazines you get in the post in plastic bags! We have used this nifty trick ourselves often over the years. Especially for the butterfly cards. You don't loose the effect when the invite arrives in a 'clear envelope'.
Whatever your need, there's a top quality Seal King brand, clear resealable cellophane bag of the right size! "
Extract taken from: http://www.therightinvite.com.au/category250_1.htm on 19/10/11
This sparked some concern for me due to the inconsistency of the use of the words cellophane and polypropylene as highlighted above.
So I decided to email the company and ask about it:
I am currently writing up a report regarding my products production to be used for exhibition and store submissions, and I would also like it to be available on my website for my customers to see, please can you clarify which information is correct so that I can include it in the report.
Unfortunately today (20/10/11) I received an email from The Right Invite stating that the supposed bio-degradable, clear cellophane bags that they sold me are in fact polypropylene.
Our bags are made from Polypropylene. Cellophane has been largely replaced by Polypropylene in the market place for a variety of reasons (there is quite a bit of information on the internet about the pro’s and con’s of each) but unfortunately the general community does not distinguish between the two. It’s a bit like referring to a tissue as a Kleenex. People just know they’re looking for a clear bag that is crisp and presents their product well and the word polypropylene doesn’t come to mind, but the word cellophane does.
It also appears that this company have no idea that there is a substantial difference between petroleum based plastics and cellulose plastics, as you can see above they referred to the difference as that of "...referring to a tissue as a Kleenex." The sheer ignorance alone has left me lost for words.
I apologise to all of you who have received any product in one of these bags labeled 100% bio-degradable, they are petroleum-based plastic, I urge you to not put them in your compost bins, and please dispose of them thoughtfully.
I will not be using these bags to present any of my items and I apologise again for the false information on the slips, but I was 100% certain that these bags were cellophane as you can see in my order confirmation:
| Quantity | Product Name | Product ID | Sub Total |
| 1 | Resealable Cellophane Bags. 120 x 162mm. Pkt 100. | CB120x162 | $12.10 |
| Sub Total (inclusive $1.10 tax): | $12.10 |
| Domestic shipping (inc. 10.00% domestic sales tax): | $2.30 |
| Total: | $14.40 |
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I am sorely disappointed at the lack of information held by this company and the extent of their false advertising and it is an embarrassment for me to be using petroleum based products. As you all know it is very important to me that my work is sustainable, low impact and of the highest quality.
I have done some research into polypropylene and a few sources say that it is degradable, and some of them don't, there seems to be a very large gray area on this subject. Here are few relevant extracts from various sites I have found, please feel free to have a look at the full information by clicking the url after the quoted text. I have seen a few pages that state they are/have produced a biodegradable polypropylene, but I feel that the information is too scarce to suggest that the mass-produced asian made Seal King products above would use anything but the cheapest, standard polypropylene.
I also understand that polypropylene IS recyclable (#5), but it is approximately up to 9x more expensive to recycle it than it is to produce it new.
I do not hold any association with the links below and I am not representing or represented by their opinions.
Polypropylene:
I know how you all love wikipedia so much...
"Conventional polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plastics will typically take hundreds of years to degrade."
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxo_Biodegradable)
"traditional plastic and woven polypropylene bags, [] can take up to a thousand years to decompose." (http://giftofthebag.com/)
This states "woven polypropylene" which I interpret as being the re-usable "Green" bags sold in most supermarkets.
"The commonly used polypropylene plastic 'green' shopping bag is less than ideal in these respects since it is slow to breakdown and may leave toxic residues, facts which have led to warnings about the use of this type of bag"
"If the lifespan and useability of the bag is the primary consideration then polypropylene non woven plastic bags are indeed difficult to beat. Their lifespan, strength, and resistance to liquids, make these bags a very attractive option for many."
"But even when plastic bags do eventually 'breakdown' they may have simply broken down into thousands of smaller pieces of plastic " (http://www.promotersparadise.com.au/bagguide.htm)
"The polypropylene box is made of a high quality PP with sufficient additives to survive the harsh conditions of deserts" "PP will survive at least 10 years depending on the number of hours of sunshine and the difference between day- and night temperatures"
This website states their product in two different categories:
- Polypropylene
- Biodegradable (http://www.groasis.com/page/uk/poly_bio.php)
The general consensus of most of us who understand basic chemistry is that oil or petroleum based plastics are NOT bio-degradable; and with so many alternatives out there, why would you risk the possibility that it may be bio-degradable?
Biodegradable Polypropylene:
http://www.ideas-int.com/document/epi-certificat.pdf
This report is from 2006. My main concern with this is that it does not say how to distinguish between bio-degradable and non-biodegradable polypropylene, we can really only take the word of the companies trying to sell to us, unless you wish to sit around for months waiting for it to degrade.
"...poly bags, and in most cases these bags are made from biodegradable polypropylene. The bags degrade through photothermal-oxidation (the effects of UV, heat and O2) and through thermooxidation (heat and O2, without any UV).
When disposed of in landfills the bags will degrade within 12 to 24 months and will ultimately biodegrade in the presence of microorganisms, moisture, heat and oxygen into simpler materials found in nature (water, carbon dioxide and biomass). This is described in ASTM D 6954-04, which is the standard guide developed for Exposing Biodegradation." (http://www.hillbrushinc.com/eco-film.htm)
I find this a little disconcerting that a company who states that they use bio-degradable polypropylene is required to state "in most cases these bags are made from biodegradable polypropylene".
Personally I would prefer to avoid polypropylene 100% until it is compulsory to state it's composition and degradation information.
My overall aim is to have a low impact product for you and I would be joyous if you were able to take your gift-card and put it in your compost bin. Currently I advise you to re-use and recycle what you can.
As always, I keep an open mind and mouth and just want to do the best I can with what is available.
As I said earlier I am compiling a report regarding all the components in my products as I would like you to be able to make your own decisions as to whether I am putting my products where my mouth is. As a lot of my materials are salvaged or pre-loved many components cannot be verified so currently I am only including the new products such as threads and adhesives. As time goes on I would like to ensure that I am only using the safest and most sustainable products for your health and safety as well as mine.
- I have been offered a full refund by the company who have been very helpful and have had an incredibly short response time. Though they will not accept fault for using misleading information. This is worrying because the product they are selling is actually BOPP and recyclable but is not bio-degradable and they are still advertising it as Cellophane which is bio-degradable. They based their information on Cellophane from the "Cambridge Dictionar[y]: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/cellophane". Which is also a little disappointing.
From now on I will be sure to double check products before I purchase them and research twice as hard before I pass on the information to you.
