Tag Archives: ENSO Bottles

Brands Say Bye to Excess Plastic to Save a few Bucks.

In recent news the rumor is that a few major stores are making “significant” changes to reduce packaging. Saying Goodbye to Excess Packaging seems to be related more to high oil prices rather than true environmental concern. If companies were truly concerned about environmental factors wouldn’t they just switch to more earth friendly plastics, say ENSO? What may initially seem like a movement to lessen plastic waste has turned out to be companies just trying to save a few bucks. Target is removing plastic lids from its Archer Farms yogurts, redesigned some light bulb packages to eliminate plastic and is selling socks that are packaged with paper rather than bags. Wal-Mart has made a gallant effort to reduce their packaging by 5% between 2008-2013 by concentrating detergent to reduce size of packaging as well as making peroxide bottles from round to square and Home Depots Husky tools are switching to paper packaging. These aren’t the only companies cutting down on plastic, Seventh Generation (sustainable cleaning and personal products) has been mentioned as well. Minimizing plastic & making plastic earth friendly like ENSO is awesome but be sure to not be confused by the motive of these companies.
–Megan Bentley

Take a Read at the Article I am referring to below!

Major Brands Say Goodbye to Excess Packaging
by Rachel Cernansky, Boulder, Colorado on 06. 2.11

BUSINESS & POLITICS Good news, according to the New York Times: excess packaging, plastic in particular, is on the decline. Apparently more because of high oil prices than any environmental concern, but we’ll take it. The Times has examples of a few major stores making significant changes:
Target has removed the plastic lids from its Archer Farms yogurts, has redesigned packages for some light bulbs to eliminate plastic, and is selling socks held together by paper bands rather than in plastic bags.
Wal-Mart Stores, which has pledged to reduce its packaging by 5 percent between 2008 and 2013, has pushed suppliers to concentrate laundry detergent so it can be sold in smaller containers, and has made round hydrogen peroxide bottles into square ones to cut down on plastic use.
At Home Depot, Husky tools are going from clamshell to paperboard packaging, and EcoSmart LED bulbs are about to be sold in a corrugated box, rather than a larger plastic case.

And a follow-up blog post expands on a couple others:
Seventh Generation, a maker of sustainable cleaning and personal care products, began using a pressed-cardboard detergent bottle that is recyclable; an inner pouch contains the liquid detergent.
“The category potential for this is huge, from vitamin companies to pet food, juice, milk, ” said Julie Corbett, the founder of Ecologic, which makes the cartons.
Recently Wal-Mart began replacing the metal twist ties that keep dolls and other toys in their boxes with paper ties.

Now, reducing packaging is a huge step forward, but it’s not the end goal. Buying in bulk—everything from rice and coffee to shampoo using refillable containers—is always going to be the environmentally superior option.
As Planet Green has written before, “Nearly 80 million tons of waste is generated from packaging and containers annually,” and from TreeHugger: “a 10 kilogram bag of rice has 20 less bags than the equivalent in 500 gram packages. And it that one bulk bag is probably a compostable cotton sack anyhow, instead of plastic. Wasted transport fuel is reduced because much more product per container is delivered to the store.”
So yes, look for products with minimal packaging and support companies making the effort to eliminate excess, but whenever there’s a bulk aisle, shop there first.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/06/major-brands-say-goodbye-excess-packaging.php

How do You Know if your plastic is ENSO?

How do you know if it’s ENSO??

You might be thinking, Wow this ENSO plastic product not only sounds green but it actually is green! Biodegradable and Recyclable, you will no longer experience guilt because you cannot recycle and your effort to be green has failed because ENSO plastics WILL biodegrade. It is just so simple and natural, the way things should be. The way all plastic products should be.

But what once seemed like an easy decision like running into the store and grabbing the first water bottle you see, now comes with options and requires a second thought. That thought being, which one of these bottles offers the best environmental benefits? The answer is ENSO. Make sure to check for our logo, if it’s not there read the labeling to be sure you’re choosing a Naturally Biodegradable bottle that is also Recyclable. (Not all brands choose to include our logo in their marketing strategy)

For those wanting to make decisions that will nurture our Earth I have compiled a list of some of the brands that use ENSO plastic (not all inclusive). Next time you are in a store look for these brands ! Some of these you probably see quite often and had no idea they were made with ENSO, right? Well now you know, so make the wiser more informed decision and choose products that use ENSO every chance you get. The more consumers are aware and wanting to choose the ENSO option, the more manufacturers will be willing to make a change and go ENSO as well. Lets take control of our waste and get this world on the right track.

Redleaf
Native Waters
Global Garden Friends
Northern Chill
Culligan
Callaway Blue
Melwood Springs
Sparkle Springs
Balance Water
AquaMantra
Ritual Cleanse
Project 7
Earth Water
Quantum Health Beverage
Nordstroms Department Stores
Life Ionizers
Pacific Caps
Texas Rain
Highland Premium
Ogallala Water
McClellan Mountain Spring Water
Crystal Falls
Green Solutions (PP and PE food storage containers)
Oasis Water
Natures Purest
Clarepak

The Diaper Guide: Disposable, Cloth, Biodegradable or the G-Diaper?

I have seen many articles on the internet about all these different diaper options and it can get very confusing. Whether you are exploring your options for environmental reasons, financial, health concerns, or just want the cutest diapers for your baby you will find the unbiased information you deserve, here.

The Eco Side of Each Diaper

Disposable diapers can take 500+ years to biodegrade in a landfill. In 2-3 years 1 child can go through 8000-10000 disposable diapers.

Cloth Diapers, depending on the company you get them from can be designed with earth friendly materials. Cloth diapers are made to be reused and that is a good thing because it results in less waste. Of course the water and energy used to clean the diapers is a downside of cloth diapers. However there are many cloth diaper washing services specifically created to clean these diapers as efficiently as possible.

G-Diapers were designed with the cradle to cradle concept meaning that what goes into the product will return to the eco system in a beneficial or neutral way. Waste then becomes a resource. Gdiapers have 2 options, 100% Biodegradable refills or reusable cloths. With the refills you can place them in a home compost (urine only refills), toss, or flush the biodegradable refills (break down in 50-150 days. The Gpants themselves are reusable and can last as long as you want them too, just like cloth diapers.

Biodegradable diapers are disposable diapers made with PLA plastic. The name biodegradable makes it seem like you can throw them in the trash and they will biodegrade in a landfill but because of the lack of oxygen, this would take a very long time to occur. Biodegradable diapers are compostable in industrial compost, so if you unable to send these diapers to a industrial compost, you are only getting other benefits that the diapers may offer depending on the brand such as (lack of chemical(s) used)

Comparing the prices

Disposable diapers can run from 1,500 – 3,000 dollars depending on the brand and how long your child will wear the diapers.

Cloth diapers can run from 700 – 1,900+ dollars (depending on style, this is including laundry costs) (ex. 6 reusable inserts can run at $30) After doing much research, lots of people that use cloth diapers have commented about needed to use disposables for trips and at night time because of potential accidents, this is something to keep in mind in costs.

G-Diapers, at Target you can get refill inserts for $52/128 inserts.Also at Target you can get 6 reusable Gpants for 80 dollars. On the Gdiaper website they have all of their products listed with prices.

Biodegradable disposable Diapers will run you the same costs of regular disposable diapers, 1,500-3,000 dollars, depending on how long your child will wear the diapers and what brand you choose.

Health Effects

Disposable diapers are made with plastic and can contribute to diaper rash and irritation. These diapers also keep babies from feeling wetness so it can take longer for a child to understand what is happening when they are using the bathroom. It has been shown that it can take longer for children brought up on disposable diapers to be potty trained, but of course situations vary and so do children.

Cloth diapers, depending on how they are washed can also cause irritation, but it is usually because of the soap that is used in cleansing. These diapers can contribute to children becoming potty-trained sooner because they are much more breathable and this allows a child feel wetness. Bumgenius is a popular stop for cloth diapers made with earth friendly materials that are less likely to irritate your childs skin.

Biodegradable diapers. The most popular, Natures baby care diapers are 100% chlorine free, 100% GM.

G-Diapers Biodegradable gRefills are made of a water-resistant breathable outer material made of all natural fiber. The inner material is an elemental chlorine free tree-farmed fluff pulp and Super Absorbing Polyacrylate, an absorbent core that keeps bottoms dry. gRefills and 100% biodegradable. gPants are made out of cotton, with a hint of elastene for stretch. gPant pouches are made of breathable polyurethane-coated nylon, similar to what’s used in sports clothing. Pouches are breathable which means babies bottoms stay cool and diaper rash is kept at bay.gCloth inserts are made from four layers of soft microfleece and hemp/cotton. There should be little to know irritation with these diapers.

Ease of Use?

Disposable diapers are quick and easy. Take one off, put one on, throw the used one away and you’re done. They are good for night time wear and travel.

Cloth Diapers, depending on which system you use can be simple or take a few more steps. If you have a cleaning service, it takes some steps out for you, if not you need to make sure that you have a special spot for dirty cloths and that you clean them within a day or two. If you are using refills that can be thrown away/flushes/composted you just have to focus on keeping the shell of the diaper clean. If you have a system going they can work for night time and travel but it will require more attention than a single use diaper.

Biodegradable diapers are just like disposables, quick and easy. Take one off, put one on, throw the used one away and you’re done. They are good for night time wear and travel.

G-diapers , if you are using disposable refills are quite easy, same number of steps as using a disposable. If the gpant gets wet of course you will need to place it in a bin to be cleaned and use a fresh one. If you are using the reusable cloths you will need to make sure they are cleaned within a day or two.If you hiring a cleaning service for cloths gdiapers are very simple, if you use refills, they are still very simple. These diapers have a lot of leak free structure so they are ok for night time wear and traveling.

LINKS!

Gdiaper

Bumgenius

Natures Babycare

Labeling is a part of Education

With all of the amazing efforts to create products that push toward a more green disposal process consumers are being left holding the product and feeling a little unsure just how to dispose of it. This is due to a lack of understanding terminology and a lack of clear labeling on the products. The first product that comes to mind when I think of this topic is Sun Chips. According to the Sun Chips website they have the first 100% compostable chip bag. There website includes a section called “Composting 101” that explains the process of disposal that can be found here Compostable Packaging 101 – Sun Chips

This is great but what do the actual bags tell you to do? On the back of the Sun Chips bag it states that in about 13 weeks there will be a “breakdown into compost in a hot, active home or industrial compost pile” it then states “Don’t compost yet? Learn more about our bag, what it’s made of and how to compost effectively at www.SunChips.com” The bag is vague and pushes consumers to visit their website to actually learn how to dispose of it. There’s nothing wrong with this but if you are driving in your car on a road trip you may find it tempting to just chunk the bag in the garbage rather than holding on to it until you get home so you can visit the website and learn how to compost it. If the labeling on the back of the bag just gave the instructions I think consumers would see that the whole process is so simple.

By making consumers go visit your website it seems like there is too much information to include on the bag and that can seem daunting to a consumer. We live in a world where people want instant information at their fingertips. Why not just include the instructions on the labeling of the bag? This blog is not picking on Sun Chips but simply just recognizing that if companies were to label products more clearly we as consumers would know just how to dispose of the products instead of just giving up because we do not understand.

Here are some key terms you should know to help you better understand all those labels out there.

Industrial composting refers to large scale composting systems that are being used more commonly as an alternative to landfills. Here is a short video that will show you an example industrial composting. More info here

Home composting refers to a process that can be done in most backyards in a homemade or manufactured compost bin or even an open pile. The bins should include 4 ingredients: nitrogen, carbon, water and air. For more details on home composting visit this site More info here

Biodegradation refers to when plastic or any other material degrades over a period of time. Biodegradation can occur in either aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen) environments.

ENSO plastics do not begin to biodegrade until the plastic is placed into a highly microbial environment i.e. landfill. Once placed in a microbial environment the ENSO additive has a microbial attractant to help facilitate microbial colonization. Once microbes have colonized on the plastic they digest the additive which causes the production of specific enzymes within the microbes. These enzymes are the key to plastic biodegradation. The microbes break down the resulting material through atomic reorganization to use some of the atoms as energy and leaves behind either methane (anaerobic) or CO2 (aerobic) and inert humus. Having the plastic biodegrade from microbial digestion is the natural process of everything and does not leave behind any polymer residue or toxic materials.

Degradation can be initiated by oxygen, ultra violet light or heat. In many cases these products begin to degrade the moment they are manufactured which leads to a shortened useful life. When something is degradable it means the plastic is only broken down or fragments into smaller and smaller pieces and will never completely disappear.

ENSO Expanding Distributor Program

Almost everyone has a successful friend or a relative who became successful by getting in on the ground floor of a trendsetting sales organization. How did these folks know when to be at the right place at the right time? They recognized opportunity and acted swiftly.

In just the last few weeks ENSO has increased worldwide presence by awarding Authorized Distributorship status in 10 new countries. The door upon which opportunity knocks doesn’t stay open for long. Would you be intrigued if I told you that there is still room on the ground floor at ENSO and a huge opportunity exists for YOU today?

ENSO is actively seeking Distributors who are ready to leverage exclusive rights to market, distribute and sell ENSO technology domestically and in more than 100 countries abroad. Is your organization prepared to manage the sales, logistics and inventory for an entire nation or region? Are YOU an entrepreneur who recognizes “… the right place at the right time”? If so, email us today. We’d like to discuss this exciting opportunity with you.

Contact Us:
sales@ensoplastics.com

ENSO is a big part of your business expansion

The big question every company asks almost daily is how can we expand our business? Whether it is increasing sales, adding new clients, or just making your business more attractive, when it comes to bottled products, ENSO has proven to be an invaluable asset.

In this competitive market, never has the need to stand out been more necessary to increase your market growth. With plastic receiving such unprecedented scrutiny (growing daily), it is imperative that brands show environmental responsibility in order to gain popularity and customer loyalty. A perfect example of this is redleaf water. They have recently announced the use of the ENSO bottle coined by them as the BIO BOTTLE, to help bolster their message behind their positive impact on the planet. This move, along with their marketing campaign is an integral part of their business plan-and it is working. They have expanded into major grocery chains and recently announced a new distribution agreement with Crescent Crown Distributing who services over 5,500 retail locations throughout the U.S.

Earth friendly packaging combined with fact-based marketing like this will really help the word get out that your company is taking the lead improving our planet’s condition in spite of all of the anti-plastic opposition businesses face each day in the current marketplace. With the right message, habits and focused activity, a company can be more attractive, increase sales and create customer loyalty literally “overnight”. This makes the ENSO Plastics the right decision for every company.

Written by Del Andrus at ENSO Plastics

This Valentine’s Day Give Your Sweetheart a redleaf

This Valentine’s Day, instead of chocolate and diamonds, give your sweethearts something they’ll really love: redleaf water in their new BIO BOTTLE. The BIO BOTTLE is a first of its kind: a recyclable and biodegradable bottle developed by ENSO Bottles.

“We’re thrilled to have redleaf water using ENSO biodegradable bottles. Working together with redleaf is going to have a huge impact on helping the environment. It is only natural that a genuine display of commitment and corporate responsibility has magnetized the redleaf brand”

Earth-conscious consumers have long embraced redleaf’s unique high oxygen, mineral rich water to quench thirst and refresh their body. redleaf‘s passion to improve the environment is reflected in the design of its facility that boasts no water waste during bottling.

“redleaf’s mission is to provide our Ultra-Premium Canadian water in guilt-free BIO BOTTLES – and now that has become a reality!” said redleaf COO Dave Hillis. By embracing biodegradable technology from ENSO, redleaf is giving consumers the opportunity to take responsibility for a healthier earth.

redleaf’s BIO BOTTLE is a step in the right direction to further reduce the impact that empty water bottles have on the environment. Now consumers can recycle like they always have, but if an empty BIO BOTTLE ends up in a landfill it will biodegrade naturally, like any other organic matter.

redleaf is sweeping across the Mountain West Region of the U.S. and can be found in major grocery stores such as Fry’s, Albertsons, and Bashas’ as well as several prestigious American athletic events, including Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics Spring Training.

About ENSO Bottles

ENSO Bottles, based in Phoenix, Arizona, is an environmental company dedicated to creating “Bottles for a Healthier Earth.” ENSO bottles are designed to be recycled or if thrown away, biodegrade naturally. Learn more about reducing plastic pollution and improving our environment at ensobottles.com.

About redleaf water

redleaf is North America’s only ultra-premium bottled water. It starts with great water from a naturally renewable source in the Canadian Rockies and is made better through a state-of-the-art purification and bottling process. It is the industry’s most advanced way for making great tasting, healthy water. For more information, visit redleafwater.com.

ENSO has joined the IBWA (International Bottled Water Association)

The IBWA is highly recognized throughout the world as the most influential body in the world of bottled water. Last month, ENSO joined forces with this highly recognized association to assist in educating the water bottle industry of biodegradable additive use and the safety of using the ENSO additive as a next step forward in the industry towards environmentally responsible plastics. Continue reading →

Do you have blue barrel anxiety?

‘m suffering from “Blue Barrel Anxiety,” and so are a lot of other people around the country. What is BBA you ask? Think of it like this. You are cleaning up after a family picnic, the table is covered with paper plates, an empty pickle jar, a plastic mustard container and lots of other things made from plastic and paper…lots of other things. If you have ever wondered, does this go in the trash or recycle bin, then you have experienced what millions of us have, the dreaded BBA, “Blue Barrel Anxiety.”

I was suffering so badly from BBA that I didn’t know what to toss into my blue bin… Blue Barrrel Anxiety I’d even gotten a letter from my trash collection company warning me that I was about to lose my Blue Barrel privileges. Don’t be disheartened, I’ve discovered the cure for BBA. It turns out that by educating oneself, BBA can be reduced and more importantly for me, no more letters.

I set up a tour to my local recycling center. WARNING and DISCLAIMER: Prepare yourself, seeing firsthand what becomes of the things you put into your recycle bin may shock you. Perhaps you might consider taking a friend or the entire family for moral support. You’re going to need it.

How did my tour go? Well it wasn’t what I expected. The facility I went to gave the tour from an enclosed area where we observed the process through glass windows. We didn’t hear much of the noise or enjoy the smells. The room we were in was equipped with a room deodorizer that periodically shot a mist on the air which covered up any noxious odors. I wondered what was in the deodorizer and why suddenly I was feeling a lot of love for all those recyclers working the picking line, hmmmmm.

Anyway… the thing that got most my attention was the amount of “recycled” items that aren’t recycled. A lot of the stuff…most of the stuff, we put into our recycle bins isn’t recycled, it is disposed of in the landfill. I was a little taken aback and somewhat hurt that all the plastic, cans, and containers that I had rinsed and carefully placed into my recycle bin were being treated like garbage and I was wondering why?

The tour guide must have seen the questions in my eyes…I heard the mister spray again and the love return. The tour guide went on to explain that recycling, while being good for the environment is in the final analysis a business activity. Items we toss that don’t have market value are stored or sent on to the landfill. Most of what I saw being saved was plastic containers and cardboard, so I assumed most of the unwanted material became garbage. The tour guide went on to say, “When something has value or there is a market for a recycled item it is captured, bundled and sold.” I pointed out a bin filled with glass bottles and I asked our tour guide why they weren’t recycled? His answer was that it’s cheaper to make new glass than recycle. I was becoming educated and my BBA was starting to ease. I learned that recycling is about money, at least here in the U.S. it is, and until there is a demand for recycled glass or the price of virgin glass goes up….it’s off to garbage land with used glass.

Reclycing Bins It turns out that U.S. Recyclers are very picky about what they want and are only willing to spend the time, labor and money on items that can easily and quickly be captured from the recycle stream. In other countries recycling has taken on a whole new meaning. I recently read about another country where even a tennis shoe is dismantled for the metal, leather and rubber. Is that cost effective? Probably not, but those countries are coming closer to a sustainable life style than we are. The tour was an eye opener and it got me to questioning if there was any real value to recycling here in the U.S., or was it all just a way to make money, appearing to be environmental?

Organizations that promote and support recycling here in the U.S. need to do more toward developing new markets for the goods we now toss into our landfills. Most of their efforts are spent on maintaining the status quo of recycling and they don’t take kindly to anyone rocking the garbage boat.

Public awareness and acceptance for environmental programs continues to grow and recycling organizations need to embrace environmentalism and its potential benefits. The U.S. needs to follow the lead of countries that have successful recycling programs, programs that are reclaiming up to 75% of waste materials. Recyclers need to get away from the idea that recycling is just a for-profit business and begin to look at recycling as the anchor for all our environmental programs.

Use, reuse, recycle and reclaiming are all about sustainability; it should become the mantra of all businesses and consumers. We need to rethink how our products and packaging are designed, used and when the life of a product is over how the resource is reclaimed. Sustainability is important for our future and it’s the only way we will be able to ensure a healthy planet and that resources will be available for future generations.

Blue Barrel Anxiety
by
Max Clark

BPI Releases Biodegradation Test Results of Aquamantra Bottles

On Feb 01, 2011 the Biodegradable Products Institute released its biodegradation test results of Aquamantra’s ENSO Biodegradable PET Bottle. BPI which is an industry organization for compostable plastics had the biodegradation tests performed by the highly recognized NSF laboratory. Lab Worker - Testing biodegradation

NSF conducted the biodegradation test of Aquamantra’s biodegradable PET bottle, using ASTM D 5511 Standard Test Method. The ASTM D5511 is a standard test method for determining anaerobic biodegradation of plastic materials under high-solids anaerobic-digestion conditions”.

This ASTM Test Method calculates the amount of carbon dioxide and methane produced during the testing period. The cumulative amount of carbon dioxide and methane evolved from each vessel is calculated and compared to the amount of CO2 and CH4 evolved from blank specimens to determine percent degradation.

After 60 days, the Aquamantra ENSO bottle achieved an overall biodegradation total of 4.47% or 10% of the positive control. As part of the normal biodegradation process with this test method, the biodegradation process drops significantly for both the cellulose and plastic material, shown by the gas generation curve plateauing. Using the test results from this test of 4.47% biodegradation over 60 days and providing an environment with a steady innoculum the test material would fully biodegrade in approximately 3.7 years.

The Aquamantra ENSO bottle utilizes less than half of a percent of active biodegradable ingredients. In other words, the bottle BPI purchased in the market and used for testing was 99.5% PET and .05% biodegradable additive material. Comparing the biodegradation of the Polyethylene material (.37%) the results clearly indicate that biodegradation by microbial assimilation of the ENSO bottle is happening at a rate 8x more than the organic additive within the bottle. By moving the ENSO plastic into a new batch of innoculum biodegradation would continue to happen. There is no indication or scientific reason to imply otherwise.

There were a few notes to keep in mind about this test. The key to performing an effective ASTM D 5511 is in the proper preparation of the innoculum. Many labs are challenged when it comes to preparing a functional innoculum for this test. This is evident when the biodegradation rate of the cellulose material does not reach 70%. In the case of this particular test the cellulose material reached a maximum of 44.31%. Cellulose is a basic material that is normally biodegraded very rapidly and is used as a baseline to validate biodegradation. As stated by NSF, because there was clear biodegradation of the cellulose the the test results are acceptable even though the ASTM D 5511 required minimum of 70% was not obtained.

As a final point; with beginning with a healthy innoculum, biodegradation would have been improved for both the cellulose and ENSO biodegradable bottle; thus resulting in an improved biodegradation timeframe. We recognize that the slower performing innoculum may in someways perform closer to a true landfill environment.

To view the NSF ASTM D 5511 test results please click here.