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Environment
Environment
Everyone knows the kind of damages we are inflicting on our planet. The massive production of plastics and Styrofoam not only depletes our already limited resource of oil, we are also churning out huge amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, causing global warming which results in worldwide natural disasters of droughts, flooding and irregular weather patterns. Hurricanes and typhoons may not affect us but our country will not be spared when sea levels rises due to the melting of the polar ice caps.
There are many methods to counter pollution that leads to an increase in CO2. One way is to reduce the production and disposal of plastics. The Singapore government is currently encouraging recycling and the reduction of the usage of plastic bags. We now have another option: to use bio-plastics instead of pure plastics.
Degradable
Degradation is a process whereby very large molecules are broken into smaller molecules or fragments. Normally, oxygen is incorporated into these molecular fragments. Typically, strong, tough plastic films become weak and brittle as a result of oxidative degradation. This outcome is because the molecules of which the films consist become much smaller. Degradation can be caused by heat, or exposure to UV light and is enhanced by mechanical stress. All normal plastics are degradable but it takes a long period of time to do so, normally in excesses of more than 500 years.
Biodegradable
The process by which microorganisms (microbes such as bacteria, fungi or algae) convert materials into biomass, carbon dioxide and water when left by itself in nature. Meaning to say the material becomes food for these little guys to feed on. Hence the extra word "bio" in front of the word "degradable". The main material is non petroleum based in nature. These products are usually made from plant or animal sources. Examples of biodegradable include paper, vegetable scraps and some forms of plastics made from ingredients such as corn starch.
These microorganisms speed up the process of degradation and is normally completed from as short as a day to as long as a year. Incinerating these materials can be offset by the amount of carbon dioxide they consume during their life time – carbon neutral. This is only in theory but one will have to depend on Life Cycle Assessments to have a better understanding of the net amount of carbon dioxide the products releases into the atmosphere - since transportation and production of these materials use energy and thus releases carbon dioxide as well.
These products will "disappear" after some time if they are buried in a landfill/compost facility. No toxic residue will be found but it is best suited if they are not buried too deep down where oxygen is heavily depleted. If the landfill is oxygen deprived (anaerobic), methane - a greenhouse gas with over 62 times the GWP (Global Warming Potential) of carbon dioxide is formed and may do more damage to the environment.
Compostable
Being compostable is somewhat similar to that of biodegradation except that it is better. The biodegradation process is carried out in a composting facility, where they can be "encouraged" to biodegrade quickly. The conditions (water, humidity, temperature, lighting) are optimally tuned bring about a speedy biodegradation. Products termed compostable will not only "disappear", they will become fertilizers known as humus (very dark soil) which can be used to boost the growth potential of another plant. No toxicity of whatever kind will happen.
Origo is 100% biodegradable, specifically 70% compostable. The polypropylene (PP) content is assimilated with the corn. When micro-organism ingest and digest the starch aspect of the product, that component is fully broken down into compost. Our products, or its compost can be safely disposed off in landfills without causing land pollution. Unlike pure plastics, the compost is non-toxic in nature. Run-offs of this compost into land and rivers/seas will not result in land and water pollution.
Many sea animals perish from consuming conventional plastics that have been thrown into the oceans. Bio-plastics on the other hand, disintegrate quickly thus reducing or even eliminating this problem.
Carbon Neutral
Bio-plastics, made of natural raw materials, primarily corn and yam starch, are carbon-neutral. This means that the quantity of carbon dioxide released when incinerated is up to 68% less than conventional plastics.
Here’s an example to illustrate the concept of carbon neutrality:
A corn plant takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as it grows.
1 unit of the carbon dioxide is "stored" in the corn.
This corn, together with the 1 unit of carbon dioxide, is made into CornWare.
When CornWare is incinerated, the same 1 unit of carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere
The net amount if carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has not increased! Plastics, on the other hand, releases new carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when burnt, contributing to the greenhouse gases.
In addition, no toxic gases will be released during burning and the ash that is produced is non-toxic. It will not cause land and water pollution when they are eventually dumped in a landfill.
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Food Shortage
The shortage of corn will add on the burden of world hunger, how do you reconcile this pressing issue?
Hunger is a social disease linked to poverty, and thus any discussion of hunger is incomplete without a discussion of economics. If we're going to speak meaningfully about hunger, we need to understand the true causes of hunger. For example, hunger is not caused by shortage of food. According to international statistics, the world's farmers produce 4.3 pounds of food per person, per day. This includes vegetables, cereals, fish, meat, and grains.
People are hungry because they are too poor to buy food. There is a shortage of purchasing power, not a shortage of food.
To put it simply, our Earth generates enough food for all, but sad to say, it’s the interplay of economic forces and politics that decides who gets more, less or none. It is not a question of whether we have enough food or how we deal with them, it is a question of how we can distribute the right food, at the right time to the right people, be it regionally or internationally.
In recent years, there has been the issue of food shortages around the world and some people question the use of edible crops for the manufacture of these bio-plastics. However, the corn that we use, which is the main ingredient of Origo, is grown specially for the purpose of making our products.
You can rest assure that each time you use Origo products, you are not contributing to the global food shortage problem.