Southgate launches household-biocompostable air pillow film

One of the most popular methods of protecting goods in transit has been air pillow film; it needs little storage space before use, can be created on demand, is cleaner and easier to use than loose fill and after use can be punctured to reduce the amount of space needed for disposal. And it’s the mother of all bubblewrap-popping therapy products.

Its chief disadvantage has been that it’s made of plastic, which isn’t such good news for the environment… until now.

Pacplan AirWave household-biocompostable films perform just like their polythene cousins, but when their working life is over they can be composted by consumers, where they quietly disappear.

They are made from biopolymers taken from waste by-products of the potato processing industry – peelings, misshapes and all the stuff they can’t put on the supermarket shelves which are household biocompostable.

Southgate explains: “We know that sounds like another bit of eco-babble, but just stay with us while we explain. Biocompostable is one better than biodegradable, because it means that it completely disintegrates without a trace and if anything, enriches the compost it’s added to. Household means just that – it can be added to your very own compost heap in the garden; it doesn’t need any special kit to compost it. As a large percentage of eCommerce goes to households, that’s a good thing.

The films meet the requirements of EN 13432. That means that it doesn’t leave any nasties in the compost, within 12 weeks can pass through a 2mm square sieve (that’s small) and within 6 months will be 97% composted, enough to dig it into your flower beds.

“This is a big first for the packaging industry and another example of how innovation can make impactful changes to the global waste problem. Pacplan’s AirWave pillow fill system is compact enough for the most space-restricted packing area yet with a productivity to satisfy busy order fulfilment operations, so Southgate are confident that AirWave Biocompostable will become the preferred void fill option for the eCommerce and order fulfilment sector.”

Southgate: 01553 612116