Biodegradable Packaging for Environment Public Co. Ltd., (BPE) is a Thai company. It manufactures biodegradable, compostable, therefore disposable tableware products. The products primarily are made from bagasse, a natural product made from the pulp of sugar cane after the sugar has been extracted. From its founding in 2005 until 2012 BPE branded its products as "Biochanaoy". In 2012 it renamed its brand, "Gracz". [1]
Many food containers and packaging products can often times release chemicals and substances into food that can be harmful when consumed. BPE, now formally known as Gracz is a company founded in January 2005 by Dr Weerachat Kittirattanapaiboon, MD. The company produces safe alternatives to containers and packaging products that do not contaminate food. The company headquarters is located in Bangkok with its industrial facilities in Chai Nat Province, approximately 188 km north of Bangkok. Major shareholders are the MDS Group, the National Innovation Agency of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion (OSMEP) of the Ministry of Industry.
BPE manufactures two lines of take-out food containers and one line of non-food industrial packaging containers."Gracz" is produced using natural plant fibers as opposed to wood fibers. The products are free of cancer causing agents and are biodegradable within 6 weeks in the ground. All products are nontoxic with a shelf life of 5 years.
The company currently has over 400 employees and hopes to double production to five million pieces per day in 2017. [2] BPE earns 70 percent of its total annual revenue from exports to developed countries. In 2017 it affirmed its intention to penetrate its home market of Thailand and the other nine ASEAN nations under the GracZ label. It also sells private label goods to brands such as Studio, Walmart, and Lidl Stiftung & Co. [2]
The firm is the only company in Thailand to be awarded the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) Privilege in the environmental category. The factory energy runs completely on LPG and steam, and all wastes from the production process are recycled. Bagasse is a natural product, Biodegradable in 45 days in a landfill or in nature. Bagasse products can be frozen, can go to an oven, and are microwavable. The company's products are UV pasteurized, and are safe for food contact. [3]
It is essential for the state of our environment to produce and use products with an eco-friendly life cycle. The key to sustainable packaging is a broad-range approach encompassing economic, social, and environmental concerns in conjunction with efficient product design and material. [4] Gracz products all support an eco-friendly life cycle, beginning with sugar factories that produce bagasse after the sugarcane stalks have been used. Gracz products are 100% decomposable. They are designed to be disposed of by burying them in the ground, where they will eventually be transformed into fertilizer for plants through the biodegradable process. [5] Environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) is being developed and utilized worldwide as a way to manage the environmental effects of the manufacturing process. [6] Lifecycle assessment is a new and developing scientific discipline that involves two stages. The first stage involves an accounting process accessing the inventory of all inputs and outputs regarding energy and material. The second stage consists of an evaluation of the effects of the product on the environment. [7] Through this assessment the lifecycle of a product is evaluated and assessed based on its environmental impact.
- "TOP Ten Innovative Business Award": 2006 [8]
- "Good Design Award": 2009 [9]
- "Prime Minister Export Award": 2009 [10]
- "BRC/IOP and Din Certco Certificate": 2011 [11]
-"7 Innovation Award": 2014 [12]
The company's mission is to invent new products that meet the need of the consumers, to extend marketing distribution across all channels, and to promote awareness of eco friendly packaging. Consumers play a major role in the overall growth of eco-friendly packaging. Studies show that attributes such as price and quality are more important to consumers than the environmental benefits of certain packaging. [13] Raising awareness to consumers regarding the overall benefits of environmentally friendly alternatives to packaging is part of the mission to increase sales.
Product life-cycle management (PLM) is the succession of strategies by business management as a product goes through its life-cycle. The conditions in which a product is sold changes over time and must be managed as it moves through its succession of stages.
Greenwashing, also called green sheen, is a form of advertising or marketing spin that deceptively uses green PR and green marketing to persuade the public that an organization's products, goals, or policies are environmentally friendly. Companies that intentionally adopt greenwashing communication strategies often do so to distance themselves from their environmental lapses or those of their suppliers.
Bagasse is the dry pulpy fibrous material that remains after crushing sugarcane or sorghum stalks to extract their juice. It is used as a biofuel for the production of heat, energy, and electricity, and in the manufacture of pulp and building materials. Agave bagasse is similar, but is the material remnants after extracting blue agave sap.
A plastic bag, poly bag, or pouch is a type of container made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, chemicals, and waste. It is a common form of packaging.
Hefty is an American brand of household products such as trash bags and trash cans, disposable tableware, children's disposable tableware, slider closure food storage and freezer bags, plastic storage bins, and disposable cookware. Originally a Mobil product, the brand has been owned by Reynolds Consumer Products since 2010.
Green brands are those brands that consumers associate with environmental conservation and sustainable business practices.
Waste minimisation is a set of processes and practices intended to reduce the amount of waste produced. By reducing or eliminating the generation of harmful and persistent wastes, waste minimisation supports efforts to promote a more sustainable society. Waste minimisation involves redesigning products and processes and/or changing societal patterns of consumption and production.
Biodegradable plastics are plastics that can be decomposed by the action of living organisms, usually microbes, into water, carbon dioxide, and biomass. Biodegradable plastics are commonly produced with renewable raw materials, micro-organisms, petrochemicals, or combinations of all three.
Food packaging is a packaging system specifically designed for food and represents one of the most important aspects among the processes involved in the food industry, as it provides protection from chemical, biological and physical alterations. The main goal of food packaging is to provide a practical means of protecting and delivering food goods at a reasonable cost while meeting the needs and expectations of both consumers and industries. Additionally, current trends like sustainability, environmental impact reduction, and shelf-life extension have gradually become among the most important aspects in designing a packaging system.
Design for the environment (DfE) is a design approach to reduce the overall human health and environmental impact of a product, process or service, where impacts are considered across its life cycle. Different software tools have been developed to assist designers in finding optimized products or processes/services. DfE is also the original name of a United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program, created in 1992, that works to prevent pollution, and the risk pollution presents to humans and the environment. The program provides information regarding safer chemical formulations for cleaning and other products. EPA renamed its program "Safer Choice" in 2015.
Green cleaning refers to using cleaning methods and products with environmentally friendly ingredients and procedures which are designed to preserve human health and environmental quality. Green cleaning techniques and products avoid the use of products which contain toxic chemicals, some of which emit volatile organic compounds causing respiratory, dermatological and other conditions. Green cleaning can also describe the way residential and industrial cleaning products are manufactured, packaged and distributed. If the manufacturing process is environmentally friendly and the products are biodegradable, then the term "green" or "eco-friendly" may apply.
Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging which results in improved sustainability. This involves increased use of life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to help guide the use of packaging which reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint. It includes a look at the whole of the supply chain: from basic function, to marketing, and then through to end of life (LCA) and rebirth. Additionally, an eco-cost to value ratio can be useful The goals are to improve the long term viability and quality of life for humans and the longevity of natural ecosystems. Sustainable packaging must meet the functional and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is not necessarily an end state but is a continuing process of improvement.
This page is an index of sustainability articles.
Disposable food packaging comprises disposable products often found in fast-food restaurants, take-out restaurants and catering establishments. Typical products are foam food containers, plates, bowls, cups, utensils, doilies and tray papers. These products can be made from a number of materials including plastics, paper, bioresins, wood and bamboo.
Biodegradable bags are bags that are capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.
Ecologic Brands Inc. is a United States company that specializes in creating eco-friendly packaging for consumer products. The products are made from sustainable materials and are designed to be recyclable or compostable. The company also provides branding and marketing services to help companies promote their environmentally conscious products.
Sustainability brands are brands that undertake sustainable practises in the workings of their business and champion them.
Disposable tableware includes all disposable tableware like
France's anti-waste law for a circular economy was passed in an effort to eliminate improper disposal of waste as well as limit excessive waste. This law is part of Europe's larger environmental activism efforts and builds on previous laws the country has passed.
