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All BioApply products are:

Of vegetal origin

100% biodegradable

100% unleaded

100% compostable

100% genetically modified organism-free

Important facts

680 : The number of bags used per year per household… That’s 2 a day!

20 minutes ! : The average lifespan of a grocery bag

400 years ! : The number of years a plastic bag takes to biodegrade

360 : the number of kilos of waste per year and per person (source Ademe France)

29 % of which is biodegradable matter
25 % is newspaper, paper, cardboard
13 % is glass
11 % is plastic
4 % is metal
18 % of which are: fireproof textiles, fuels and various complex materials, dangerous waste

850'000 tons of plastic were used in Switzerland in 2004 (OZD) etc...

500'000 tons end up in our landfills (KVS)

+ 50% is plastic packaging (DREE, 2004)

The production of plastic requires petroleum-derived products (raw material and nonrenewable) , water, and generates dangerous gas emissions.

HDPE bags end up in:

Landfills where they will take 400 years to decompose.
Incinerators where they generate greenhouse gases, contributing to atmospheric acidification and photochemical oxidant formation.
* In natural environments. Because they are both lightweight and resistant, they are a source of visual pollution, and are harmful to the fauna as well as to the flora.

The biodegradable bag has the following decisive advantages:

It is of vegetal origin, it is made with renewable raw materials
100% biodegradable, it is better for the environment if thrown away (**).
100% compostable, it does not need to be incinerated (pollutive process) and can be put in compost heaps.
* 100% GMO-free (BioApply commitment), it constitutes an outlet for European agriculture.

The biodegradable bag is less harmful to the environment than the plastic bag. It consumes less nonrenewable energy in the course of its lifecycle. The biodegradable bag: (Lifecycle analysis)

Consumes approximately 1.3 times less water than the plastic bag during its lifecycle
Is the bag that generates the least greenhouse gas emissions in its lifecycle.
Contributes the least to atmospheric acidification in its lifecycle.
Contributes the least to photochemical oxidant formation.

The paper bag is not a viable alternative because of its ecological impact:

It Consumes 4x more water than Bioapply biodegradable bags
It emits 85% more greenhouse and acid gases than the PE bags
It takes several months to biodegrade in a natural environment

What we can do

Reduce our consumption of bags!

The use of biodegradable bags is without question a step in right direction for the environment but our main goal remains the significant reduction in the number of bags used on a daily basis.

Choose the biodegradable-reusable bag: this bag makes it possible to decrease our consumption of plastic bags while at the same time offering an ecological assessment higher than the alternatives which include the reusable plastic bag.

Once the bag has become unusable, throw it in the compost heap!

Just because the bag is biodegradable doesn't mean it should be diposed of in public place. For best results, throw it into a compost heap once it is has become unusable.

Learn to recognize a biodegradable bag

There are many alternative bags that claim to be: "ecological", "bio", "eco"...: Bio-fragmentable or oxo-biodegradable bags are made of polyethylene matter and have other chemical additives whose biodegradation comes about not through a biological process but a physico-chemical one.

The European standard, as well as the labels, serve as a guarantee of the biodegradability of the bag. The labels are generally printed on the side of the bag.

Use biodegradable bags

Because consumers are ready!
83% of the people questioned are in favor of the total and immediate suppression of plastic bags "(survey CSA April 2005)

And that’s only the beginning

Giving up plastic bags and switching to biodegradable bags is a step in the right direction. We developed our bags from corn starch, but we have already begun researching and developing bags produced from vegetable matter that is potentially even more powerful ecologically (beet, potatoes, etc...). New applications will gradually be incorporated into our line of products to further enrich it.

Sources :

Study carried out by COMPOSTO, Olten, CH * 9/98
Life Cycles Assessment of MATER-Bi Bags for the Collection of Compostable Waste "Study carried out by Bio Intelligence Service ((A)), France, 5/05
Evaluation of the environmental impacts of the bags of case Crossroads, France 2/04
* Contribution to the evaluation of the environmental impacts of the bags of case '" Study carried out by (A)/Crossroads Supermarkets, France, 6/05

** Just because the bag is biodegradable doesn't mean that it should be disposed of in public places. Throw it into a compost heap once it is has become unusable !