How do you dispose of the PLA bottles, can they be tossed in the backyard compost heap?
These bottles can be recycled. They can also be disposed of in industrial composts but backyard composts won’t reach the heat and humidity required to break down the bottles.
Packaging utilizing recycled materials
Beyond our dedication to providing customers with naturally enriched product formulations that are both gentle and effective, Natures Organics© has long been committed to producing products utilizing recycled materials at every opportunity; and minimising the wastage of valuable resources.
Today, our support of the ‘Endless Bottle’ concept results in around 240 tonnes of PET materials being reused and recycled each year - and simply demonstrates that modern technology (when used correctly) can move away from owing ecology an apology.
Plant based packaging
In addition to being the first in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere to produce recycled PET bottles for haircare and household cleaning products, Natures Organics has also recently become the first in the world to introduce sustainable, compostable packaging (PLA ) known as Bioplastic. Bioplastic is made from renewable plant-based ingredients (as opposed to a Petro-plastic made from crude oil ) and is the latest initiative that brings Natures Organics yet another step closer to achieving realistic sustainable development. This now means that the bottles of our entire Organic Care range are as ecologically sensitive as the contents inside.
Did you know: it takes 3.5 litres of crude oil to make 1 kilogram of plastic? There is 3.4 kilograms of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere for every kilogram of PET plastic created. In comparison there is only .27 kilograms of CO2 emitted for every kilogram of PLA. Not only does Natureworks BioPlastic come from a natural sustainable resource, it results in 95% reduction in CO2. This makes it the plastic of the future.
Environmental Accreditation: Why Natures Organics brands are not accredited.
In our opinion, an environmental accreditation should force those seeking accreditation to modify or change the way they produce and create products.
If the accreditation fails to achieve this, we believe it is not worth the paper it is written on. In my mind this completely contradicts the purpose of accreditation and sells it off to those who are willing to pay. In fact, it is our belief that we go beyond the accreditation by our high usage of recycled materials; our new cornstarch packaging materials to replace plastics derived from crude oil; our high usage of plant based raw materials and surfactants; and our pursuit and implementation of new technologies as they become available. If any of our consumers can share with us any insight or ideas that can improve the way we produce or create our products it is our unswerving commitment that will ensure we follow it through. The fact of the matter is everything we do has an impact on the environment; it is our job to minimize it. What is environmental today may be seen as detrimental tomorrow because as new technologies are developed we are finding better and better ways to produce ... Managing Director, Justin Dowel.
Responsible sourcing of Palm oil
Natures Organics share your concerns with the supply shortages of Palm oil and the impact this is having on old growth forests in Indonesia.
We are always keen to look into alternative materials but our choices are limited to what is commercially viable and readily available in the global market. At present, the only substitute ingredient to palm oil is a form of animal fat.
Natures Organics have approached the use of this ingredient extremely ethically as we are very stringent in communicating to our suppliers that we will not accept materials that compromise our cruelty free policy. This is a fundamental requirement that any supplier must satisfy before we consider doing business with them. We source all of our Palm oil from Malaysia, the practices for cultivating is damaging in Indonesia because they are destroying and burning old growth forests to make way for Palm plantations. We have written assurances from all of our surfactant suppliers that they do not purchase any Palm oil from the affected areas and that if they do they will lose all business they have with Natures Organics and face legal action for misrepresenting themselves.
We are in the process of reformulating all of our products with new Sugar and Corn derived surfactants but this takes time and these new ingredients have only become recently available. Unfortunately at this present time we cannot get away from the fact that all surfactants and detergents come from either Petroleum derived or Coconut and Palm derived ingredients
All the ingredients are stated on our labels as we choose to do so. This is not a mandatory requirement for these types of household products, hence, many manufacturers do not provide such information on the labels of other products.
Natures Organics can assure you that we aim to protect the environment and its creatures.
|
