Sugar cane is a natural and renewable resource that grows in warm, tropical climates. The sugar cane plant contains sucrose, a natural polymer, which when processed and broken down into monomer units forms polylactic acid (PLA). This is the same molecular structure as traditional plastic, the only difference is the source material. While traditional plastic is extracted from petroleum, sugar cane cosmetic tubes have the same properties but use a plant as its raw material.
Sugarcane cosmetic tubes are just as strong and durable as traditional plastic! The best part? It’s 100% biodegradable. Sugar cane plastic breaks down in your home compost pile or in a municipal compost facility. No need to separate it from your other recyclables!
Why use sugar cane in your cosmetic packaging?
Brands love sugar cane cosmetic tubes because it’s not only renewable but also biodegradable when composted under proper conditions. Cosmetics tube manufacturers can refine such collapsible tubes into pellets, which are then melted down and extruded into a variety of shapes and sizes to serve as bottles, jars, tubes and caps for cosmetic products.
There’s nothing particularly special about sugar cane, it’s just another plant from which we can extract starches. But there’s something very special about what our planet stands to gain by switching from petroleum-based plastics to sugarcane-based products: a healthier environment (and potentially healthier people).
Sugarcane cosmetic tubes are a relatively new invention and there is still much confusion about it in the market! In order to educate the masses, we have included the most common(and slightly weird) questions cosmetics tube manufacturers get from people regarding sugar cane cosmetic tubes.
Is it biodegradable? Can you bury it? Can I put it in my food recycle bin? Is it compostable?
While sugar cane plastic is not biodegradable, it is compostable. This means that you cannot bury it in the ground and expect it to decompose instantly (like a banana peel or an orange rind) but you can throw it into your compost bin and it will break down.
The best way to dispose of this type of collapsible tube is by throwing it in your normal trash bin. If you don’t have a compost bin, this eco-friendly squeeze tube isn’t going to compost quickly enough to be worth putting in your food waste recycle bin.
To put it more simply;
Biodegradable: Yes. It is made from sugar cane waste, so it will biodegrade when exposed to oxygen and sunlight.
Burial: Yes. It’s made from sugar cane, so it is a natural material that will eventually biodegrade when exposed to oxygen and sunlight.
Food recycle bin: Yes! It’s made from sugar cane waste, so you can put it in your food recycling bin.
Compostable: Yes! It’s made from sugar cane waste, so it will compost just like an orange peel or a banana peel would.
The reason we’re so sure of this is that sugar cane cosmetic tubes are derived from sugarcane bagasse, which is a byproduct of the sugar refining process. Let’s start with the basics: what is bagasse? It’s simply the fibrous pulp left over after stalks of sugarcane are pressed to extract their juice. Previously, this was thrown away as waste! Nowadays, it’s used to make paper or converted into biofuel (among other things). And because it’s a natural byproduct of farming, bagasse is naturally biodegradable, it contains no artificial substances that would prevent it from decomposing like most plastics do.
What happens to the sugar cane collapsible tube after it’s thrown away?
After it’s thrown away, what happens to any other piece of paper? It decomposes. Because our Sugar cane cosmetic packaging is made from compostable material, when it’s disposed of, the microorganisms in landfills can eat and digest the fibers. The carbon dioxide produced from this process is less than that of other materials, such as plastic and aluminum.
Sugarcane cosmetic tubes don’t cause any harm to the environment. In fact, it’s environmentally friendly and has a low carbon footprint. The production of sugarcane cosmetic tubes is also an energy-efficient procedure that requires less water than other types of material extraction processes.
Why can’t the squeeze cosmetic tubes be 100% sugar cane?
At the moment, there are no sugar cane materials available that can be used for 100% sugar cane collapsible tubes. Sugar cane is a natural material, which means that it grows in a field. Therefore, the sugar cane is being harvested and dependent on yearly crops. This makes the material inconsistent and hard to standardize. The way to overcome this issue is to mix the sugar cane with other plastic materials in order to make it more consistent and stable. These mixed materials can then be used by cosmetics tube manufacturers to create eco friendly squeeze tubes that are 100% recyclable.
Can I eat it?
- You can’t eat Sugar Cane cosmetic packaging from cosmetics tube manufacturers. It’s made from Bagasse, which is a type of byproduct of sugarcane processing. People have often confused sugarcane pulp with sugarcane juice, but these are two completely different things. The pulp that we use for the packaging of our cosmetics is actually called bagasse, and it’s all the leftover plant material after we extract the juice, it’s definitely not something you’d want to eat!
Also, sugar cane cosmetic tubes are totally safe for kids because it’s all-natural ingredients with no preservatives added.
Sugar cane is naturally antimicrobial by nature. It’s been used for centuries to make tables and utensils because of this property. This means you can count on our sugar cane cosmetic tubes to keep your products fresh for longer.
- At a time when consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their product choices, developed by cosmetics tube manufacturers, sugarcane cosmetic tubes make an excellent choice for brands looking to stand out in a competitive market. It’s easy for brands to make the switch and enjoy all of the benefits that come with using this innovative new material in their products, from sustainability to reduced costs to better customer experiences.