What comes in this bioplastic picnic set?
Our 20-piece bioplastic picnic and camping set is designed to be used for 4 people. The full set is made with bioplastic produced from sugarcane with an organic cotton carrying strap.
The full set includes:
- 1x colander
- 4x plates
- 4x cups
- 4x cutlery sets
- 1x cup holder for the four cups
- 1x food containers/serving dish
- 1 x removable sealing lid for food container
- 1 x organic cotton tightening strap for transport
What can I use this bioplastic picnic set for?
With its compact design and brilliant durability our lightweight bioplastic picnic set can be used for pretty much any outdoor adventure. We’ve used it for picnics in the park and on the beach. It is perfect for groups of four people. The kit is easy to transport thanks to the organic cotton carry strap, easy to use, and its modular design means it is easy to re-assemble once used. It is also perfect for garden picnics.
If you’ve got a campervan or caravan, one of these bioplastic picnic sets is a brilliant alternative to traditional caravan tableware sets. Not only is it space saving (great for limited space), but it is robust and contains the key essentials for eating, serving, saving and transporting food when you are on the go.
If you’d rather have outdoor tableware that comes as separate pieces instead of a set, take a look at our other camping tableware ranges .
What is this picnic set made of?
Our eco-friendly picnic set is made from ecoBiB recyclable material made of 81% sugarcane (without BPA or melanine) which is a bioplastic. More specifically, it is made from a by-product created during the processing of sugarcane to sugar. It is lightweight, durable, and recyclable but is much better for the environment. Sugarcane bioplastic is a perfect alternative to the traditional melamine picnic sets.
The first step of the sugarcane processing journey (this is the bit where we get a bit sciencey) is the ‘crushing’ phase. This releases the sugar juices to create the sugar we put in our tea and use for baking. It also creates ethanol, a plant-based alcohol. The ethanol is converted into polylactic acids (PLAs). PLA is is a thermoplastic polyester that has the same physical properties as conventional polyethylene made from oil which is why it works so well as a sustainable alternative to traditional plastics.
You can get a whole variety of different bioplastics made from various sustainable materials, each of which can create slightly different polymers with different uses. Some of these materials include used cooking oils, feathers, canola, wood (ligin/cellulose), corn, soybeans, algae, natural gas (methane) and castor beans. You can read more about different bioplastics .
Why is bioplastic better for the environment than traditional plastic?
There is no denying it, plastic is a fantastic material in terms of its functionality, which is why it is used for so many things. There is a place for plastics and often they are the best, most practical materials. The main issue is virgin plastics which are a BIG contributor to climate change which has meant some plastic producers have looked to new, more sustainable raw materials to create bioplastics. Enter sugarcane! Sugarcane has emerged as an important ingredient to substitute for petroleum in the production of plastics. Bioplastics made of sugarcane have the same benefits as ‘normal’ petroleum-based plastics but are sustainable. In fact, each metric ton of bioplastic made from sugar cane produced avoids the emission of 2 to 2.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide on a lifecycle basis. Here are a few reasons why bioplastic is an eco-friendlier option to traditional plastic:
- Sugarcane absorbs CO2 – when sugarcane grows, just like all other plants and trees, it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere.
- No fossil fuels required - Oil-based plastics (the ‘traditional’ plastics) require oil (surprise, surprise) to be made. To get this oil, it needs to be mined for. Not only is the process of drilling and mining carbon intensive but when we extract the oil, carbon is also released from the Earth’s soil into the air. That’s all before we’ve even used the energy needed to turn the oil into plastic which (spoiler alert) is also a carbon inducive process. An increase in CO2 in the atmosphere, as we well know, is what drives climate change. The very nature of bioplastics is to use sustainable materials rather than relying on oil.
- Created using renewable energy – sugarcane bioplastics are particularly eco-friendly. During the processing of sugarcane, a waste product known as bagasse is also produced. Bagasse is used to generate electricity which powers the ethanol production process. This, again, removes a carbon-inducive process.
- Sugarcane is sustainable – sugarcane is a very resilient crop which means it can be grown in areas of poor arable land that would otherwise be wasted and unused. This means land clearing isn’t needed to grow the sugarcane. Once the sugarcane has been harvested, it can simply be replanted which means it is 100% renewable. Sugarcane is even beneficial to the soil it is grown in, helping it to recover and replenish. Win, win!
Is bioplastic biodegradable?
No, bioplastic isn’t biodegradable. It can however be recycled and is processed within normal recycling facilities. This means you can pop the set into your normal plastic recycling bins. However, this bioplastic picnic set will last you a long, long time though so don’t worry about thinking about that for now.
