Vulcanised fibre - The 100% PLASTIC FREE plastic
The Problem
About 70 years ago plastics became a mass product. 8.3 billion tons have been produced since then - we now consume around 335 million tons worldwide each year, of which around 12 million tons are in Germany.
After mostly the shortest use, 79% of the indecomposable plastic is stored in landfills or in the environment.
Environmentally polluting plastic is problematic because it is not decomposed but mechanically fragmented, i.e. it breaks down into smaller and smaller parts without any material changes to form microplastics. Even after decay times of up to 450 years, it is not possible to speak of complete decomposition.
Many plastic objects now pollute seas and beaches. From giant plastic swirls to tiny plastic particles, they are becoming the undoing of marine life and ecosystems. Animals strangle themselves with plastic scraps or confuse the parts with food. Ultimately, the harmful substances contained in or enriched by plastic also enter the human food chain.
Bioplasty is not an alternative
Unfortunately there is no binding definition of the term bioplastics. Thus, the term can mean both that the material is biodegradable but made from petroleum, and that it is made from renewable resources but is not degradable.
Even biodegradable plastics are not a solution. During composting, many biodegradable plastics only decompose under the defined conditions of industrial composting plants. They should not be thrown on the compost heaps at home, as they do not decompose there or only decompose with a much longer decomposition time.
And industrial composting plants also have a problem: many products made of bioplastics still contain plastic or additives based on petroleum. Some municipalities even prohibit the disposal of bioplastics in organic waste. Bioplastics even cause problems in the recycling plants of the yellow bin. So in the end only the residual waste remains.
The alternative
Vulcanized fibre is a 100% PLASTIC FREE plastic that decomposes 100% biologically to CO2 and water in home compost. No waste and no micro particles are left behind. In addition, vulcanised fibre SAVUTEC® consists of 100% sustainable and renewable raw material cellulose.