What is said to be the first truly biodegradable toothpaste tube has been launched for Prabhupada brand toothpaste from allVeggie of Sweden. AllVeggie produces a toothpaste product made from natural substances that is Fair Trade-certified and does not exploit nature or people, the company says.
AllVeggie’s Swedish manager, Stefan Lundbladh, points out, “It is important for us to emphasize our ecological awareness and send a signal. By using bioplastics, we can fulfill our wish to have an overall environmentally friendly solution.” All of the raw materials used for the package are biodegradable and are supplied by FKuR.
The package is manufactured by Techtubes, which injection-molds, extrudes, and prints the various parts of the tube. According to the company, the tube itself stands out due to its excellent mechanical properties. “Using bio-resins for such an application was a challenge for us,” says Johan Barkentin, project leader at Tectubes, Sweden. “We needed to have compatibility between the different parts, and match them together with good conversion properties. By using FKuR’s expertise and range of sustainable bioplastics we were able to reach a very satisfactory solution.”
Bjarne Högström, FKuR’s sales representative for Scandinavia, states, “This development shows the versatility of biopolymers and how far biopolymers have progressed with respect to processability and final characteristics.”
FKuR Kunststoff GmbH produces and markets special customized biopolymers under the brand names Bio-Flex® (polylactic acid compound), Biograde® (cellulose ester compound), and Fibrolon® (natural fiber-reinforced polymers).
