Eco-friendly glitter brand Bioglitter®, has joined forces with international importers and suppliers Broekhof and APAC to help cut plastic waste in the flower market.
Ronald Britton Ltd, is the inventor, developer and manufacturer of Bioglitter®, which is the world’s first naturally degradable glitter, based on plants rather than plastic.
Ronald Britton has been in talks with Broekhof in the Netherlands and APAC in the UK, both leaders in the flower sundries and packaging industry, to work together and replace plastic glitter used in flower decoration with eco-friendly alternative, Bioglitter®.
Stephen Cotton, director of Bioglitter® said: “Tens of tonnes of plastic glitter are used every year in the horticultural industry for flower and foliage decoration. It’s a potential microplastic issue. Glitter can find its way into the environment not only when consumer goods are disposed of, but also all the way through the supply chain.”
“Over the last eight years we’ve been working on creating a biodegradable, plastic free glitter to help tackle the issue. In recent months we have launched our new Deco Bioglitter®. It’s a huge step forward, a glitter designed for decorative applications which is 92% plastic free and proven to decompose outside in the natural environment. It’s very difficult to define exactly where the glitter used in the decoration of horticultural products will ‘end up’. That’s why we are working hard to develop all the environmental issues out of glitter with our Bioglitter®; removing all plastic so it’s no longer a microplastic and ensuring it biodegrades outside in the natural environment, so it leaves no trace.”
He added: “Broekhof and APAC are now our partners and sellers of Deco Bioglitter® into the horticultural markets. Having two of Europe’s biggest floral sundries and packaging suppliers on board, supporting Bioglitter®, is something we are very pleased about. They are both very well connected in the industry and will help us spread the message of, the why and how of Bioglitter® and help promote eco-friendly working practices in the industry.”
The new Deco Bioglitter® replaces the plastic core used in traditional glitter, with a plant based product, a special and unique form of cellulose, made primarily from Eucalyptus trees. Bioglitter® is durable on shelf, but similar to a leaf, once it enters an environment where microbes can work on it, it will decompose.
Bioglitter® has recently undergone testing by the independent testing organisation, OWS Belgium, which revealed it has excellent biodegradability in freshwater environments, like streams, rivers and lakes, with the vast majority of the biodegradable content in Bioglitter®, biodegrading in just four weeks. This demonstrates biodegradability performance far beyond that of products which require industrial composting or home compositing to biodegrade.
Bioglitter® with its biodegradability credentials coupled with it being 92% plastic free represents a truly eco-friendly alternative to plastic glitter. However, the Ronald Britton team are still determined to drive on with the Bioglitter® journey, not only so it biodegrades in the natural environment but also to attain the ultimate 100% plastic free goal, therefore removing the plastic pollution issue from glitter for good.
APAC are one of the leading importers and distributors of floristry, party, event decor and horticultural products in the UK, working with retailers including Tesco, ASDA, Morrisons, Wilkinson’s, Aldi and Marks and Spencer.
Broekhof has branches throughout Holland and overseas including Columbia and Kenya, supplying flower packaging and decorative material to florists, wholesalers and retailers worldwide.
For more information on Bioglitter® visit www.discoverbioglitter.com and www.bioglitter.com.
