A transparent, cellulose-based film made from wood pulp, a renewable resource, is the clear choice for wrapping organic products made by soap maker Tikvah, and brownie maker Raw Indulgence (see sidebar, p. 60). The biodegradable, compostable film, called NatureFlexβ’, is supplied by Surface Specialties UCB.
By using specially formulated coatings, Surface Specialties UCB can change NatureFlexβs moisture transmission and barrier properties. Thatβs the case for Tikvah and Raw Indulgence. To keep its brownies moist, Raw Indulgence opts for a stronger moisture barrier than Tikvah, whose soaps benefit from a more permeable film.
Tikvah is a Hebrew word meaning hope. Itβs also the name of the Petaluma, CA, home-based business run by Cyndi Norman that produces organic soaps. Tikvah is now expanding thanks in part to the NatureFlex film.
βWeβre dedicated to organic products,β notes Norman, who is extremely sensitive to chemicals. βWe donβt want to use anything in our products or packaging that can have a negative effect on the environment.β
She says, βBefore I began using the film this year, we wrapped soap bars in organic cotton paper. The problem was that the company that supplied the paper stopped making it in the [limited] amounts that I needed. And you couldnβt see through the cotton. I wanted something transparent. We like that our customers can see our products inside the package, yet the soap is protected from dust, handling, and contaminants.β
Manual wrapping βwas labor-intensive,β she adds. βAnd it took a few extra seconds per bar to properly fold the cotton paper and then tape it. When youβre paying somebody $12 to $15 an hour to do that, it starts to eat into your profits.β Tikvah heat seals the NatureFlex-wrapped bars on a Midwest Pacific-brand semi-automatic machine from J.J. Elemer.
Norman says she learned of NatureFlex at last yearβs All Things Organic show in Austin, TX. She requested information about the film and Surface Specialties UCB responded with details.
The film supplied directly to Tikvah incorporates specially formulated biodegradable and compostable surface layers to control the filmβs moisture permeability. Those proprietary heat-sealed surface layers form the two exterior layers of the substrate. Inside each of those two layers is a thin tie layer. The tie layers sandwich the filmβs transparent cellulose material core. Overall, the transparent 1.2-mil NatureFlex 120 NE38 structure provides a moisture-vapor transmission ratio of 38g/100 sqβ/24 hr.
βThe film is moisture permeable,β says Norman. βI wanted that specifically. With most products, like food, you donβt want moisture going back and forth through the package. With soap, the older it is, the better it gets because as the water slowly evaporates, it becomes harder, lathers better, lasts longer, and is just a much nicer bar. So I chose the NatureFlex film variety with moisture permeability.β There is little, if any, scent to the soaps.
Tikvah uses 71ΒΌ2β-square sheets of NatureFlex, but expects to change to bags in the near future. Bags would only need to be sealed on one end, requiring less labor. βWeβll still need to apply a label to the top of the bag, but weβll be able to automate the sealing,β she says.
Tikvah employees apply a pressure-sensitive paper label to the top of the film. βI wasnβt able to find anything organic,β Norman says of the label, though she is more than satisfied with label supplier Labels Now. Supplied to Tikvah in rolls, the paper labels have a gold veneer finish. Flexo-printed in black, the label copy includes the Tikvah name, soap variety, and ingredients, followed by a sentence that reads, βWrapped in biodegradable cellophane.β
Asked to compare costs between NatureFlex and the former wrap, Norman says, βThe cotton paper was a little more expensive, but neither material is that expensive, with costs between two and five cents per bar. When youβre selling for about $6 per bar, itβs not that big a deal.β
NatureFlex is now used for three varieties of hand-cut bar soaps whose average weight is 5 oz, though Tikvah does not put any specific weight on the package of the hand-cut soaps. These are sold for $5.75 to $6.50, mainly in the Oakland, CA, market. The wrap is also used for small, triangular-shaped soap pieces for bed-and-breakfast, spa, and hotel sales. Norman also markets them on the companyβs Web site www.tikvah.com.
She points out that Tikvah is in the process of expanding its sales. βSurface Specialties UCB has been really good working with me and sending me a much smaller amount than its minimum order.β In the future, Norman expects to move to a rural property with a barn that will be renovated. βWhen thatβs done, weβll hopefully be able to do 5 or 10 times as many packages.β
For now, Norman says, βCustomers really seem to like the packaging. They can see the product. They pick it up and look at it. Before, with the paper, theyβd kind of open up the ends and look at the soap. I wanted them to see the soap and ooh and aah over it, and this film does that. When I tell people who are into organic [goods] that the film isnβt plastic, but a biodegradable cellophane, they are very impressed.β
See the sidebar that goes with this story: Brownie maker indulges in sustainable film