Eco-friendly bubble wrap launched

PH Flexible – a company based in Derbyshire – launched the compostable bubble wrap late last week in its ‘eco-friendly’ range following a launch earlier this year of a degradable version.

The company uses a compostable film, which they say meets the EN13432 European standard for compostable and biodegradable plastics. The standard requires that products be 90% biodegradation within 90 days.

At the end of its use ‘Compost-a-Bubble’ can be discarded into industrial composting facilities where it will break down with the rest of the green waste leaving no harmful residue.

The Composting Association – an environmental organisation based in the UK – is positive about the new product’s aims and its attempt to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill. However, it still remains somewhat cautious about the distinction between compostable and non-compostable plastics.

Peter White, a spokesperson for the Composting Association told edie:

“There is still a long way to go to educate the public about the benefits of compostable packaging and its disposal. There is a very real risk that unless they are properly informed about it, compostable packaging will end up in landfill and normal plastics will end up mixed with dry recyclables.”

PH Flexible says that its new product is “ideal for retailers who require an environmentally friendly protective wrapping for items such as fruit, vegetables or flowers, which enable them to dispose of any unsold product and packaging as a single item.”

Composting Association’s Peter White said:

“The challenge for the packaging industry is to educate the public to recognise its labeling and to know when to compost and when to bin.”

Dana Gornitzki