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From soap to nuts

Soap producer Tikvah and brownie manufacturer Raw Indulgence market organic products in a transparent cellulose film made from wood pulp.

The biodegradable, compostable film used for Tikvah organic soaps offers clarity and moisture permeability. It's also less costl
The biodegradable, compostable film used for Tikvah organic soaps offers clarity and moisture permeability. It's also less costl

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 NatureFlex’s moisture transmission and barrier properties. That’s 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. It’s 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.

β€œWe’re dedicated to organic products,” notes Norman, who is extremely sensitive to chemicals. β€œWe don’t want to use anything in our products or packaging that can have a negative effect on the environment.”

She says, β€œBefore 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 couldn’t 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.”

Manual wrapping β€œwas labor-intensive,” she adds. β€œAnd it took a few extra seconds per bar to properly fold the cotton paper and then tape it. When you’re paying somebody $12 to $15 an hour to do that, it starts to eat into your profits.” Tikvah heat seals the NatureFlex-wrapped bars on a Midwest Pacific-brand semi-automatic machine from J.J. Elemer.

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