Green Options » corn plastic

To PLA or not to PLA

Susanna Schick — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:59:29 +0000

Editor’s Note: Carrotmob is a form of consumer activism that invites businesses to compete in order to win a mob of customers. But everyone wins, because the extra money the winner makes goes toward things like improving their energy efficiency. Usually the business who promises the largest percentage of revenue from the event wins, but this Carrotmob was done a little differently. Each contestant explained what they’d do if they won, and what they were currently doing around sustainability, and the general public voted, actually choosing the one who had already shown the greatest commitment to sustainability. Epicenter wanted to get some feedback from the public around what type of to-go containers to use.

What is the most sustainable type of take-out packaging?

Ah yes, the burning question that keeps many an environmentalist tossing and turning well into the night. On the one hand, PLA, aka “polylactic acid” comes from plants, not petroleum, so it must be good, right? But which plants does it come from? And what part of the plant? Is it waste being upcycled? Is it replacing food crops? It must be good, right, it’s not petroleum!?

Epicenter Café, being a very conscientious Carrotmob winner, wants to be sure they make the right choice. They also want your input, sage readers. So I present to you the options, because even the Green Café Network does not take an official stance on this ever-evolving topic. There is an increasing array of options for eco to-go containers.

Eco Golfers: Wood Tee vs Biodegradable Plastic

John Simonetta — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:11:39 +0000

This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of Proforma Simonetta Freelance, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy (see proformagreen.com). John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.

I don’t golf. However selling promotional products, like caps, shirts, golf bags, golf towels and water bottles to those that do is a huge part of the promotional products industry.

Regarding eco-friendly promotional items the industry quickly moved to take care of this space with items like e.c.o apparel, organic cotton golf caps, BPA free water bottles, and even golf bags made from recycled materials.

But I don’t golf. So when I was recently asked which is the better “green” solution regarding golf tees, natural wood (from sustainable sources I would suggest) or biodegradable corn plastic, I simply did not have an answer. It was not something I had thought about and as a non-golfer I don’t know if wood or plastic is better to play off of.

So what are some of the options out there? I took a look at two basic tees.

QuickPoint - the folks with the corn plastic drinkware - also do a nice corn plastic golf tee. Built from biodegradable corn plastic and made in the USA, these branded corn plastic golf tees run about $85 per 1000 units with a one color imprint.

QuickPoint also does a nice LINKS PAC in their Nature/ad™ line with one imprinted ballmarker and five 2 3/4″ tees for EQP $0.64. Biodegradable corn plastic comes in a number of bright colors as well as the “natural wood” finish (as shown above).

The QuickPoint LINKS PAC is actually $0.18 less per unit than the wooden FAIRWAY PAK product from Norwood that runs EQP $0.82, however the comparison is unfair in that the wooden FAIRWAY PAK is more with a total of six imprinted 2-1/8″ tees, plus two imprinted quarter marks.

Again you have the options for the assorted colors, in this case Black (as shown), Blue, Dark Blue, Natural, Red, White, and Yellow.

For Ecopreneurists working the golf scene or indeed golf events or clubs wishing to be as eco-friendly as possible I am still in the dark as to which item - corn plastic or wood - is the best way to go.

I think the real lesson here is that even at this level, from the promotional products industry, there are green options available. And that is likely a good sign for things to come.

For more on Norwood’s golf line contact Mark Goldring. If you wish to learn more on QuickPoint and their corn plastic products contact Tina VanHoogstraat.

If you are interested in these items to promote your own business contact your local promotional items vendor or email info@proformagreen.com for information and pricing.

QuickPoint Adds Some Style In 2009, Plus A Pitcher

John Simonetta — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:05:38 +0000

QuickPoint is adding a few more items to their corn plastic drinkware line. Basically QuickPoint is adding a bit of style as the first generation of these mugs were a little short in the design area.

The new mugs look more like traditional travel mugs however they are still made in the USA using US produced corn. This is a good selling point as the economy slows and - right or wrong - the demand for Made in America promotional products increase.

We like Made in America from the green point of view that these items simply have less to travel from product to client versus a mug run in China, etc.

The QuickPoint ECO-LOGIC MUG has a large 18 oz. capacity, is both biodegradable and microwave safe. There is also corn plastic information included on each mug stating that the mugs are made from 100% U.S. Corn Plastic (engraved on bottom) plus an additional removable “100% corn” decal.

The mugs come in Red, Blue, Cornsilk White, Maize Yellow, Ag Green, Translucent Blue and Translucent Green. The cost of these mugs is EQP $5.79 with one color imprint.

I like the idea of these items as giveaways for Ecopreneurists at the upcoming wave of Earth Day related events. I also think they work well for Ecopreneurists in the food and beverage industry.

Another item new for this year is the PITCHER with TUMBLER SET, which is just what it says it is, an imprinted pitcher and four unimprinted tumblers made from biodegradable plastic and produced in the USA.

These pitcher are sturdy enough to use for Ecopreneurist cafes and they are also great give-away items for events like company picnics as they are practical and also large enough to fill with other items like eco caps or t-shirts.

if you are a promotional items distributor looking for more on these items contact Tina VanHoogstraat at QuickPoint. If you are looking for a quick quote email us at info@proformagreen.com or contact your local promotional items distributor.

Coffee On The Cob - Are Corn Plastic Mugs Eco Friendly?

John Simonetta — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 11:48:01 +0000

This is a guest post by John Simonetta, owner of ProformaGreen, an eco-friendly promotional items consultancy. John’s blogs are designed to keep us up to date on the “greening” of his industry.

There has been a growing conversation in the promotional items market about items made from corn plastic.

For us this conversation normally comes up when clients debate the pros and cons of corn plastic mugs like those offered by the manufacturer QuickPoint.

The argument normally goes like this.

Pro: Corn plastic mugs are safe and sturdy. They cost less than mugs of similar weight made from petroleum plastic. The QuickPoint products and others are union-made in the U.S.A from U.S. corn, therefore they are not shipped from overseas, which reduces their footprint, and are made by workers making U.S. wages. They are biodegradable.

Con: Using corn for plastic is believed to reduce the amount of corn in the global food chain. Contributing to a variety of social ills including food shortages and when combined with the increasing use of corn for ethanol, driving up the price of all sorts of goods. of
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Plastic Egg: It’s Not What’s for Dinner

Autumn Wiggins — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:53:29 +0000

In keeping with this week’s theme of what to do with those pesky plastic eggs, I set out to find a worthy project. My enthusiasm was curbed when I came across reports of lead being found in these things.

At the risk of being the antagonist, telling you what not to do with them seems reasonable, albeit not crafty. At least I get to make a bullet list…