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Q: What does PLA?
PLA is polylactic acid which is made from corn starch. It is a bioplastic that
is both compostable & biodegradable.*
Q:
How is unique about PLA and how it is different than regular plastic?
PLA is very unique material as it is
made from corn and not from petroleum. Regular plastics are made from petroleum
while PLA is made from corn based resins which makes PLA non toxic and annually
renewable resources. PLA is very environmentally friendly material since it is
made from renewable resource – Corn. Plastics products may take thousands of
years to degrade while PLA products biodegrade within 180 days in a composting
system.
Q: How long will PLA products take
to degrade or compost?
The PLA products will take up to 180 days to degrade in commercial composting
facility. In home composting facility, it may take longer time.
Q: Can PLA products be thrown into
the regular trash?
Yes. However, please note that PLA products require certain conditions for
degradation which includes appropriate amount of heat, moisture and air. Generally,
conventional landfills do not fulfill these necessary conditions. If PLA
products are thrown into the trash, it will be collected and dumped into the
landfill and it may take very long time over there to degrade due to lack of
appropriate conditions.
Q: Are PLA products microwave and freezer safe?
The PLA clear products are heat resistant to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. So, PLA
products are good for cold products. PLA is not microwave safe , but PLA is
freezer safe.
Q: Why are your PLA cutlery products
is recommended for hot products?
Our PLA cutlery is made from
modified PLA which is called CPLA material. PLA products don’t offer high heat
tolerance, and they can tolerate only upto 110 F. So, we make our including knife,
spoon, fork, stirrer, testing spoon etc.from CPLA (modified PLA) . This
material tolerance upto 185 F. They are also 100% renewable, biodegradable and
compostable.
Q:
Should PLA products be thrown into the recycling bin?
It is not highly recommended to throw into the recycling bin. If these products are thrown into the
recycling bin, they may degrade in the actual recycling process.
Q:
Is the corn used to make PLA products GMO-free?
The corn cutleries, which are made in China, and the BioBags, which are made in
Norway, are GMO-free. The products manufactured within the United States may be
produced using GMO corn.
What
does mean Ingeo™?
We use Ingeo brand to manufacture our PLA line of products. Ingeo is a
biopolymer made from polylactide (PLA) that can be derived from plants like
corn, soy protein, potatoes etc. Ingeo is generally made from corn; it is brand name of
PLA which is produced by US based company called NatureWorksAccording to
NatureWorks.
Ingeo perform much like traditional
plastics, but are made from annually renewable resources like corn plants and it
is compostable and biodegradable.
Can people use Ingeo corn based
plastic if they are allergic to corn?
Yes. Ingeo plastic is a corn-derived plastic, but Ingeo is certified by GeneScan
to contain no genetic material. During its high heat processing, it eliminates any
immunologically reactive contents. Because of this, Ingeo doesn’t cause an allergic
reaction.
Is that concerning fact that Ingeo™
biopolymer harm the food supply available to human lives?
Currently our supplier NatureWorks uses the dextrose made from feed corn to
make Ingeo. This source is widely available and very inexpensive source because in the U.S.
Please see the following facts that are
provided by Natureworks regarding Ingeo:
Right now...
- Ingeo is made from dextrose (sugar) that
is derived from field corn already grown for many industrial &
functional end-uses. In North America, corn has been used first
because it is the most economically feasible source of plant starches.
- We use less than 1/20th of 1% (0.05%) of the
annual global corn crop today, so there's little to no impact on food
prices or supply (1).
- The process does not require corn, we only need a sugar
source. This could include sugar beets, sugar cane, wheat and more.
Do you use genetically modified (GM)
corn in your products?
We use Ingeo resin made in USA by Nature works. This resin is made from non GM
and GM corn which is grown in USA. Ingeo
is certified and contains no genetic material Please see the following facts
that are provided by Natureworks regarding their GM and source options:
GM & SOURCE OPTIONS
- Making Ingeo does not require genetically modified (GM)
materials.
- Ingeo is certified by GeneScan to contain no
genetic material.
- Currently, the corn grown in the U.S. is a mixed stream
of GM and conventional corn.
- To address variable global market demands around
GM feedstock, NatureWorks offers 3 certified source options.
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