Helping the environment, one bath bomb at a time!

The Rustic Bee uses Biolefin shrink plastic to wrap and protect our bath bombs and soap. Biolefin is an Oxo-biodegradable plastic: a degradable plastic in which the degradation results from the action of naturally occurring microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae. Oxo-biodegradation is recognized as a two-stage process. Oxo-biodegradable plastics do not simply disintegrate into smaller pieces of plastic that pollute the environment. Oxo-biodegradable plastics use a technology that is based on the well understood but slow reaction of conventional plastics with the oxygen in the air. The incorporation of Totally Degradable Plastic Additives (TDPA) accelerates this reaction in a very controlled way. This causes the products to physically disintegrate in an acceptable time period when they are exposed to air and sunlight or heat. The products of this degradation, which continues after physical changes to the film are seen, are not just small pieces of the original plastic but are chemically completely different. They are significantly oxidized, denser and hydrophilic. These degradation products are highly susceptible to biodegradation by microorganisms that are naturally present in the environment and their biodegradation has been demonstrated in independent peer-reviewed studies. This allows the return of the original plastic to the eco-cycle. Biodegradation occurs over a period of 1-3 years, comparable with most natural materials and completely satisfactory from an environmental viewpoint.