FAQ - Frequently asked questions and our answers

FAQ – Frequently asked questions and our answers

Your questions - our answers

In the NaKu FAQ you will find questions that we are frequently asked and our answers to them.

Natural plastic is very similar to conventional plastic in terms of its properties, but it is produced on the basis of plants and therefore offers an environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum products. At NaKu, all products are made from renewable raw materials and are completely biodegradable. 

Under the menu item Partners & Cooperations you will find the shops where you can conveniently buy our NaKu products. If there is no NaKu sales office in your area, you can of course either order the products you want directly online in our web shop, simply contact us by phone or e-mail.

 

Only materials are added that comply with the strict requirements of DIN 13432, the applicable standard for biodegradable materials. After our products have decomposed, grade A compost is produced again and thus the best nutrients for new plants.

It is very important to us that the starch used in our products is free of genetic engineering. We have the relevant certificates from our raw material manufacturers. We believe that anything that should be returned to nature should not be genetically modified. That would be contrary to our philosophy. The only disadvantage: all the advantages (GMO-free, European cultivation, Austrian added value, CO2-saving production, food-safe, biodegradable, particularly breathable, etc.) of our product unfortunately still affect the manufacturing costs at the moment.

Corn or potato starch has been used in industry for decades. The larger proportion initially goes to the animal feed and food industry. Starch is also used in the chemical industry as a raw material for the production of adhesives, glue, labels, cosmetics or paints, for example.

Unfortunately, at the moment it is not yet possible for us to produce natural plastic only from waste, since we are dependent on the availability of the existing technologies and offers for granulate production when choosing our raw materials. Great efforts are being made to develop bioplastics based on by-products and waste products from the food industry. With the development of our sunflower products from sunflower husks, the by-product of sunflower oil production, we have taken a decisive step in this direction. This upcycling allows useless by-products to be used in a meaningful way, the beginning of an important process towards next-generation bioplastics.

We see the production of Natural Plastics more as an alternative for farmers who are partially subsidized for leaving their fields fallow. This at least gives us the opportunity to support the local economy. We hope that in future more public authorities in Austria will decide to support the spread of natural plastics.

We don't like it when our decomposable plastic (un)intentionally ends up in nature, although natural plastics will sooner or later completely biodegrade. The survival time depends on several factors: humidity, agitation, oxygen supply, etc.

Optimal conditions prevail in an industrial composting plant: It is always around 60°C there, lots of bacteria and constant circulation. Under these conditions, the rotting process takes about 3-5 days.

In an agricultural manure heap, for example, which is turned over at regular intervals, it takes 9-12 weeks in warm weather for our NaKu bags to rot.

Should the NaKu bags actually be left lying on the side of the road or in the forest, nature will have to rely on itself. Wind, sunshine, rain and bacteria will degrade the bag in about a year or two. This is of course not optimal, but definitely better than with conventional plastic objects. Conventional plastic is neither biodegradable nor can it rot. It only breaks down into smaller and smaller parts after several decades, but is actually still there. If conventional plastic gets into the sea, it is eaten by fish as supposed plankton, which then starve to death with literally full stomachs.

Nevertheless: Our 100% biodegradable food storage bag shouldn't just be thrown away carelessly either!

Similar amounts of energy are required for the processing of NaKu granules as for the processing of conventional plastics. Due to their compostability and the fact that the raw material is produced from renewable resources, natural plastic carrier bags currently have a slightly better energy balance than the same items made of conventional plastic.

The use of natural plastics in the field of CO brings the considerable advantage2-Balance and thus on the effects on climate and climate change. In our opinion, it is important for our future (and that of our descendants) that modern technologies can be recycled and renewed without permanently consuming the resources of our planet. Natural plastics are a big step in this direction, as their cycle remains closed: from the plant to the natural plastic and through the decomposition back to the earth.

Even though they look very similar to conventional plastic, our products are natural products that are subject to aging. We guarantee the quality of our fresh storage bags for the first 6 months after purchase. Normally we ship our products away from fresh production. Then hardly anything should happen in the first 12 months. After about 14 months, the product can lose about 10-15% of its breaking strain. After about 36 months (depending on storage conditions) our bags become brittle and porous. They would disintegrate, as they should at the end of the product life cycle.

Of course. Repeated use is just as much a part of the fundamental idea of ​​sustainability that we represent as is versatility. You can fill, wash and reuse our NaKu bags over and over again. However, if mold gets into the NaKu fresh storage bag, the rotting process begins. In this case, it should not be used again. The sack is thus sent to its final destination and can once again do a good job as an organic waste bag.

In our webshop you will find all NaKu products made of natural plastic. The web shop also offers you information about products that we can produce on request, for example bags printed with a company logo or B2B products.

Like all NaKu products, the sunflower displays are made of natural plastic. Unlike the bags and kitchenware, however, these are not made of corn but of ground sunflower husks. With this innovative method, sunflower husks, a waste product from oil production, are reused through an upcycling process. Any waste is sensibly reused!

Yes! The sunflower display is a product made of natural plastic and consists of a renewable raw material. It is biodegradable and is produced in Austria. The use of waste products as raw material is particularly ecological, as the sunflowers do not have to be grown specifically for this product. Since the use as a slat wall system results in many different possible combinations, the display offers the possibility of equipping entire rooms PVC-free.

The sunflower display was a project example to show that in the future natural plastic can also be made partly from waste. Once you have developed a plastic, you can give it any shape you like. Of course you have to keep in mind that the plastics process is designed for larger quantities. We welcome inquiries to manufacture our customers' products from sunflower material or natural plastic in general.

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