Norquest Bags in Ahmedabad, India have developed the world’s first completely biodegradable jute bag.
All jute, by itself, is completely biodegradable, but most jute bags aren’t. That’s because most bag manufacturers laminate it with a film of low density polyethylene or polypropylene to give it stiffness and water resistance.
The folks at Norquest didn’t think this was good enough and took a two pronged approach to making a completely biodegradable product.
The first approach was to do away with lamination completely. To achieve this they initiated research into traditional means of fabric processing from the earlier part of the century to impart stiffness to fabrics. A fascinating mix of extracts of various vegetable, spice and natural gums was evolved to achieve this.
The end result is a delightful bag that holds its shape without any lamination. It is water resistant but not entirely water proof.
For those customers who want a greater level of water resistance, Norquest searched the net until they came across a manufacturer of an additive that, when added to polyethylene, renders the entire plastic lining biodegradable.
Now, companies who buy and encourage the use of jute bags out of a concern for the environment have the satisfaction of being able to get a product that fulfils their environmental goals.
The environment is rapidly becoming a critical issue for companies that take their CSR programs seriously. Distributing ecologically sensible products at their trade fairs and conferences and offering them to consumers, whether free or at a nominal price at their retail points, is earning savvy companies enormous goodwill.
The folks at Norquest help design such programs and offer appropriate reusable fabric bags to enhance corporate participation at trade and retail points of interaction.
The Norquest website is http://www.badlani.com. Write to rajiv at badlani dot com.
