This guest blog is by Suzanne Haddon and Ashlee Smithson of RooCreate
Bagasse is commonly used as a filler for paper or fibreboard. Bagasse is the eco-friendlier alternative to paper as well, it looks and feels like wood paper, but only takes 1 year to grow and harvest. This compared to paper, which can take up to 20 years to grow.
This recyclable and compostable marvel is exactly what you need in your eco-packaging.
Key benefits of Bagasse
Using bagasse protects forests and its production requires fewer toxic chemicals. Less energy and water is used to make the product, all this in turn plays an important role in helping Australia achieve its Renewable Energy Target.
Businesses need to utilise rapidly renewable sources. Bagasse uses lower energy-related emissions, which help to contribute to lowering global warming. It requires less energy in the manufacturing process because it is just the fibre remaining from sugar processing.
Using it as a material for packaging removes the need for transporting the bagasse away. If bagasse were left to rot, it would break down and release greenhouse gases, particularly methane, which is 27 times more dangerous to the ozone than carbon dioxide.
Importantly, it is durable and unaffected by extremes in temperature. Factors include:
- microwave and freezer safe,
- can handle hot liquids up to 120 Degrees Centigrade
- oven safe up to 220 Degrees Centigrade.
Practical benefits include space savings, being nestable and stackable reduces storage costs as much as 70%. Protection is another benefit, Bagasse gives superior shock and vibration cushioning. In addition, Bagasse can be engineered to your specifications, the option of custom design is a great advantage.
It offers price stability, minimal dependence on volatile price fluctuations of oil, gas and resins gives you a long term price guarantee. It also comes at a lower cost than other protective packaging e.g. foams and thermoformed plastics.
Products made from Bagasse do not need a PLA lining because it is naturally oil and leak proof, making it both home compostable and industrially compostable. Bagasse is a great composting material, so giving it a second life as packaging is great for the environment.
Bagasse does not need any labels, like biodegradable, that tend to be misleading. It is both home-compostable and industrially compostable. It is best case scenario that the products end up in your home-compost, but they could also end up in the recycling (as they look most similar to paper products), become incinerated and lastly end up in landfill.
It is important to note that industrially composed materials are no better if they are also being put into landfill. Home composting is where you can make a difference. Composting reduces methane production (a major source of greenhouse gas), and provides a series of economic and environmental co-benefits. Bagasse has many uses outside of packaging aswell, it is a major contributor in the bioenergy sector – accounting for over 60% of Australia’s dedicated bioenergy capacity. There are projects also working towards using bagasse as a biomass for ethanol production.
Give our Moulded Pulp Clamshell boxes a try today!
Blog post written by: Suzanne Haddon and Ashlee Smithson of RooCreate