Testing Your Packaging – Conventional vs Biodegradable, Who Will Win?

Conventional food packaging is largely made from a mix of chemical-based unnatural materials. We know these don’t break down, but testing your packaging  will tell you what it is made from by the way it reacts to the tests! We tested our own biodegradable products against conventional materials and you can see the results.

Our two test subjects were a plain clear plastic knife and a biodegradable PLA knife. The plastic knife felt thin and flimsy, and bent quite easily. The biodegradable knife felt thick and sturdy, and much less flimsy. While the plastic knife had sharper teeth, the biodegradable teeth were still sharp too.

Test One: Flexibility

We tested our plastic and biodegradable knives to see which one was more flexible. When pressure was put on the plastic knife, it bent easily, and even started to bruise, crack and give way. Not long after, it cracked and shattered. It wouldn’t be good if this happened while you were trying to eat!

Our biodegradable knife stood up to considerably more pressure and bent until almost folded in two before it snapped. It took more force to break, meaning it’d be a nice option to eat with – you certainly wouldn’t have to worry about it breaking like the plastic knife!

Test Two: Burnability

Grab a lighter and put the plastic and biodegradable knives to the test! Using a regular lighter, we tested the plastic knife first. It caught alight quickly and easily,  the plastic bubbled and burned with a large flame and plenty smoke. It also gave off a strong smell of burning plastic – not very pleasant.

The biodegradable knife took a lot more effort to catch alight, and while it bubbled slightly, it simple turned black and gave off a light smoke, with no smell at all. After a while, it eventually caught alight and burned slowly, and the flame went out fairly quickly.

 Conclusion:

We reckon the biodegradable knife came out on top, judging with it’s strength and durability compared to the conventional plastic knife. The great thing is, it’s made from all natural materials and good for the environment, and you can put it in your compost heap when you’re done with it!