Naturloop is a compostable bioplastic resin made from plant-based starch. The plants used are not intended for daily consumption, ensuring that our process does not interfere with food production. The starch is sourced directly from a local farmer cooperative certified by Fair For Life, with whom we have partnered.

Naturloop is both home and industrially compostable, and will biodegrade through microbial activity, resulting in the production of CO2 gas and biomass. The home composting method exposes the Naturloop bioplastic to an unregulated environment (including temperature, moisture, etc), which can cause variations in composting duration. while the industrial method exposes the product to a stable and optimal environment for composting.

As stated in the ISO 14855 test report done by the Indonesian Biotechnology and Bioindustry Research Center (PPBBI), in the home composting environment (25-30ºC) Naturloop will fully decompose within 24 weeks, while according to the EN 13432:2000 test report done by Din Certco, in the industrial composting environment (>60ºC) Naturloop will fully decompose within 12 weeks.

Naturloop is not for consumption, so it should not be eaten and drunk. The function of the packaging is to protect the packaged goods, so it is not recommended to eat or drink Naturloop packaging.

Aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes and ocean contain a large number of microbial decomposer. Thus, allowing Naturloop to naturally decompose by these microbes in multiple aquatic environments including rivers, lakes, and ocean. 

The results of the Naturloop biodegradation test in an open water environment are as follows:

a) river 4 weeks

b) lake 4 weeks

c) ocean 6 weeks

To promote the property of Naturloop plastic bags, Naturloop is designed to be water insoluble and hydrophobic.

Naturloop already has obtained several test result certificates, including:

• Biobased Content based on the ASTM D6866 method from Din Certco, Germany 

• Home Compostable (ISO 20200, EN 13432, ISO 14855) from Din Certco, Germany, and from PPBBI (Pusat Penelitian Bioteknologi dan Bioindustri Indonesia), Bogor

• Tested as compostable plastics based on ASTM D 6400, ASTM D 6400 is the standard specification for solid material biodegradation (by composting) required for the labeling of plastics designed to be aerobically composted in municipal or industrial facilities

• Industrial Compostable (ISO 20200, EN 13432) from Din Certco, Germany

• Testing in an open environment: rivers, lakes, oceans

• Internal burial test

Oxium is an additive that is added to conventional plastic materials to accelerate oxidation and biodegradation processes. Naturally, conventional plastics take about hundred years to biodegrade. Oxium makes the process of biodegradation in conventional plastics become faster, only within a period of 2–5 years (depending on the environment).

Oxium is in the form of plastic pellets like a master batch, which is generally used with a certain dosage and added to conventional plastic pellets.

Basically, the polymerization process creates a very long hydrocarbon chain in plastics, which is about > 7 million. In contrast to rice and sugars whose hydrocarbon chains are just as long as < 100.000. The length of this carbon chain makes the plastic takes hundred years to decompose physically (fragmentation) and molecule (biodegradation) which is then broken down by microbes (biodegradation).

Oxium is able to accelerate the process of cutting the molecular chains of plastics through oxidation process from the oxygen, UV rays, heat and other environmental pressures. The oxidation process allows microbes to consume/decompose plastics, which is why Oxium technology is known generally as biodegradable technology (two stages of biodegradation through oxidation and biodegradation processes).

Oxium is highly recyclable, during collection and recycle before biodegradation. Because of the small doses of Oxium, if it has been recycled the product continued to be stable. Roediger report and TCKT report in Germany have tested and analyzed in detail the melt flow, the stability of the recycled biodegradable plastic properties and found all stable no impact. Oxium is recyclable at PIR (Post-Industrial Recycled) and PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled). In Indonesia, some plastic converters have also tried recycling Oxium plastic (even several times) and no quality biodegradation at all.

• Does Oxium Cause Plastics To Sink (making them difficult to recycle)? 
  The concern that Oxium causes drowned plastics has also been proven to be untrue, as   the addition of CaCo3 is what causes biodegradable plastic to sink, rather than its additive.

Oxium has many advantages such as:

• Oxium makes conventional plastics to biodegrade easier and become environmentally friendly, through the acceleration of oxidation and biodegradation processes. Oxium contributes to reducing the buildup and plastic pollution that occurs everywhere.
• The doses used are very small (dosage of 2-10%), so Oxium does not change the plastic base properties (stay strong, good oxygen barrier, etc.) The addition of Oxium to some products actually adds to plastic's superiority. In PS foam, for example, the plastic become more ductile and the color appears shinier.
• The use of Oxium is very easy, manufacturers do not need to change the production process and the machine used. Simply mix the Oxium like a master batch in general and run the production process as usual.
• The use of small doses, of course, makes Oxium become very economical and does not cause a heavy cost. This is evident from the popular use of Oxium even in industries that are known to have very thin margins. Technologically and economically sound, Oxium is ideal for mass market products; large, cheap, and has a disposable, useful life that is easy to decompose and environmentally friendly.
• Oxium is made of a safe natural mineral (non-heavy metal) material. This is corroborated by test results from various credible agencies that prove that Oxium is safe in direct contact with food (food grade). Oxium has passed the RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) & BPOM (Food and Drug Administration.

Oxium is 100% Indonesian Technology. Researched and developed by an Indonesian innovator from Jambi, Sugianto Tandio. The technology has been used in almost all modern markets in Indonesia and has been granted Singapore and U.S. patents.

1. Oxium has been proven to pass international standardized tests such as, ASTM D6954-04: "Standard Guide for Exposing and Testing Plastics that Biodegrade in the Environment by a Combination of Oxidation and Biodegradation", where Oxium is tested to pass through 3 Tiers:
   
   Tier 1: Oxidation: Biodegradation in plastic with Oxium is shown by decreasing volatile mass and molecular weight of plastics oxidized by heat, UV, and other environmental pressure. The plastic turns into micro particles. In contrast to fragmentation that breaks into micro plastics which the molecular weight stays the same.
   
   Tier 2: Biodegradation with ASTM D5338: the biodegraded Oxium plastics then placed in a compost condition with microbes that are widely available in nature. The biodegradation process is shown by the emersion release of CO2, H20 and biomass formation.
   
   Tier 3: Eco-toxicity: The biomass residue is tested to determine the impact of Oxium plastics on the environment by testing in water (the pH results remain balanced, which means safe for the environment). Next is a test for the growth of sprouts (the result: no difference with control), the effect on plant growth (the result: the same as regular compost, the growth remains the same as regular soil), and its effect on the development of earthworms (result: no difference with control, the worm stay alive and keeps growing as usual). The test results prove that Oxium successfully biodegrade the plastic into CO2, H20 and safe biomass.

In addition to ASTM D6954, Oxium is also tested using ASTM G21, ROHS, BPOM, Halal, Non-heavy metal, FDA standard, Japanese Food Standard, and so on. Various certificates of eco-label have also been obtained by Oxium, such as, Green Label Singapore, Malaysia Green Certification, SIRIM Malaysia, and of course Eco-label Type 1 SNI Indonesia and Eco-label Type 2 Indonesia from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia.

Biodegradable technology itself is widely known and proven effective in various countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Pakistan, and so on. Some neutral third-party references have also described the technology. Various independent research on biodegradable technology has also been conducted by various parties such as the following:

• Reference book "Introduction to Bioplastics Engineering" by Syed Ali Ashter, Elsevier. This reference book is like a book that discusses different types of bioplastic technology. On pages 27 and 28 have been clearly described the 'contents' of biodegradable technology and its various biodegradation processes. One important quote from the book is, "The biodegradation process not only involves the biodegradable molecular structure of the material so that it ceases to be a plastic and becomes biodegradable. It then disappears completely without leaving any fragments or toxic residues, instead changing into carbon dioxide, water, and biomass. The end result is no plastic, no harmful residues, and no long-term damage at all
• Eunomia Report Reported for the European Commission on biodegradable technology / PAC technology - Pro-Oxidant Additive Containing plastic: "From the information studied, the authors of this report can be sure that it is possible for a PAC plastic (oxo) to fully mineralize in. an open environment, with the prodegradant additives encouraging this action, and so the polymers and entrained substances can be assimilated into the natural environment (p.46) "

Not only passed the test of various testing standards, Oxium technology also received various awards, such as:

• Oxium as 100% technology Indonesia has got "United States of America Patent" (the process takes 4 years). The US patent application and evaluation process is well known as the most thorough and meticulous process, and must be able to prove its validity and contribution to help reduce pollution.
• Oxium is also awarded "President's Industry Pioneer Award, Top 18 National Technology Award, Best Applied Innovation Award" by the Minister of Research and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia which all have to go through the process of testing and technical exposure that is not easy.

All of the above ensure that biodegradable has passed various tests, certifications, credibility, international recognition, so that the positive impact and contribution of this technology - if properly understood (in terms of how to work, applications, support environments required) - No need to be in doubt.

There is still confusion / misinformation / information that is incomplete or wrong

Many people (without a credible background such as chemistry, engineering, plastics, etc.) think biodegradable only causes fragmented plastics. In facts the it is difficult to see the process of biodegradation. It is not easy to distinguish plastic pieces that arise from fragmentation or plastic processes that are biodegraded by microbes and are being unraveled, let alone weighing molecular weights without supporting laboratory equipment. So it can be said that the statement is not true and cause misinformation.

Difference in local context

Responding to the challenge of plastic waste problems, we should not act simplistically by imitating the solutions of other countries without considering the context of each country in depth (copy & paste). Each country has its own context such as, area, GDP / per capita economy, climate, infrastructure, available natural resources, the final waste disposal situation (whether incinerated or dumped into landfill), etc. All will determine the best solution for each country, balancing the natural conservation and economic welfare of society and the resilience of the state

In Netherlands, for example, (and most countries in Europe) with GDP per capita> $ 50,000 with an area of> 45,000 km2, a very good infrastructure, it certainly makes sense to choose recycling and incinerator as the main solution. Recycle as much material as possible and burn the rest of the plastic waste that can’t be recycled.

The United States as another example, although rich countries and areas of nearly 10,000,000 km2, they use landfill as the main solution of garbage disposal, and tend to choose green plastic from corn because of the availability of maize is very much in the US.

Being in Indonesia, with an area of ,900,000 km2, 17,000 islands, poor infrastructure, and per capita GDP of about $ 3,500, what plastic handling solutions are right for the people of Indonesia? Indonesia needs Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, also Return to Earth (biodegradable) because so many disposable packaging, shopping bags, etc., which is very cheap, thin, and very difficult to collect back after distributed to 17.000 islands. It may be that the effort and the funds needed to do so outweigh what can be obtained from the materials that it is trying to collect. Full Life Cycle Analysis is required to determine most efficient and effective intervention options.

The economic level is also very decisive. As an illustration, eating at a fast-food restaurant in the United States with a $ 8 per meal price and a $ 0.50 green packaging price, it still makes sense. Try compared to what happened in Indonesia, with fried rice that cost only about $ 0.70, what is the price of packaging commonly used by most people of Indonesia? Climatic state is also a determinant of whether or not a technology. Biodegradable technology, for example, with triggers for its oxidation based on oxygen, solar heat, UV, moisture, microbial quantities, etc., is particularly suited for the climate of countries on the southern equator.

This reality is quite different from the climate of European countries and other four seasons countries. Considering all the above factors, then all business actors and stakeholders should work together: less ego more eco. Reduce alone will not be enough, Reuse or Recycle alone is also not enough. Return to Earth alone is also not enough. Renewal (from Waste to Energy) is also not enough, because the cost of the machine is very expensive, not to mention our garbage and humid climate so that the energy needed to burn the waste is very big (so expensive). We all must work together in a roadmap / master plan. And do not copy & paste it from other countries let alone the context is very different. Could be later Indonesia is again only a market, not the host in their own country.

Competition Between Technologies

In Europe competition between bioplastics (bio-based plastics) against biodegradable becomes increasingly fierce. It is common to discredit each other and discredit each other. Often when reading negative reports about biodegradable technology, the report is almost certainly created by institutions, producers or associations, even other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that are entitled to encourage bioplastics, and vice versa.

There is a lot misinformation such as, biodegradable technology is considered not biodegradable because when tested using ASTM 6400 (for compostable plastic) did not pass. If examined more carefully, of course the results do not pass because the testing of biodegradable plastic technology should use ASTM 6954 test. In contrast with the test on bioplastic compostable which, if tested using ASTM 6954 testing standards also will not pass results.

Information about claims received by the public is also a lot incomplete. Many claims are not properly socialized so that it often makes people think the compostable ASTM 6400 is the best, but for compostable plastics required a large industrial composter, which certainly does not exist in Indonesia. Without industrial composters, the bioplastics will not decompose, but instead become contaminants because they can’t be recycled with other plastics (whereas plastic with biodegradable technology can).

The attitude of mutual slander and consider each technology is the most superior that add confusion to the community. Yet every technology has its own strengths and limitations, depending on who uses, usage, and in what context.

These are the causes of confusion about other biodegradable and bioplastic technologies in general.

Regulation unfortunately sometimes used as a weapon for business expansion of the perpetrators of green plastics. That all the parties need to realize is actually the conventional plastic that is our common enemy after it turns into garbage. Stacking, unraveling, polluting, fragmented into microplastic and polluting the environment. This is what must be fought. The government is good at validating the existing technological options, make sure as claimed, then let them compete in the market, to be efficient and not burden the people. If the Government chooses one particular technology, it will be biased and can be considered as conflict of interest. The technology also tends to be expensive and burdens the people. The government should select some technological options that have been tested, proven, and let the competition in a healthy market.

In this world, at least UAE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Yemen, mandatory use of plastic with biodegradeable technology. This is understandable because of the competitive price, the large petrochemical industry, as well as the long hot and UV hot climate every year, making them ideal for biodegradable technology. Europe has the tendency of Recycle and Waste to Energy / incinerator, because they are small countries with a very good collection system. The United States with its landfill and the favored PLA (bioplastic from corn) technology. The countries of Southeast Asia are generally open with a variety of green plastic technologies, both biodegradeable and bioplastics. Indonesia should encourage and develop local technologies belonging to the nation, which already exist are several types of biodegradable and bioplastic from cassava. This should all be encouraged because it is in accordance with the climate, economic conditions, the state of Indonesia's infrastructure, and so forth. Certainly not just copy paste / follow, for example from Europe. In today's world, we must sovereign ourselves. Lately Europe has rejected our oil palm as their standard, do we then want to follow Europe by refusing our own oil palm?

Oxium is highly recyclable, during collection and Recycle before biodegradation. The Oxium biodegradation period is 2-5 years, so it is very much time for the Recyler to collect the plastic to recycle (at least 1 year). If it has been too long plastic must be relegated to be biodegraded so as not to happen accumulation and harm as in Leuwigajah Landfill. Because of the small doses of Oxium, if it has been recycled the product continued to be stable. Roediger report and TCKT report in Germany have tested and analyzed in detail the melt flow, the stability of the recycled biodegradable plastic properties and found all stable no impact. In Indonesia, some plastic converters have also tried recycling Oxium plastic (even several times) and no quality biodegradation at all.

The concern that Oxium causes drowned plastics has also been proven to be untrue, as the addition of CaCo3 is what causes biodegradable plastic to sink, rather than its additive.