A flower-scented bioplastic is available from Mixcycling, a spin-off of the Vicentine closure company Labrenta, which is presenting the new blends of lavender and chamomilla, i.e., a material made from lavender and chamomilla industrial waste. We couldn’t help but speak about it today on Earth Day, the holiday in which we celebrate the safeguarding of the planet.
Founded in 2020 by Gianni Tagliapietra and Amerigo Tagliapietra, Mixcycling is always looking for new fibers with which it can make biocomposites and produce and patent materials with a low environmental impact. The brand’s mission is to create alternative materials to plastic and, in order to do so, ennoble organic fibers coming from industrial processes like cork, marc, rice husk and bamboo.
There are many sustainable Mixcycling projects: from the high-performing and sustainable bike seats made in collaboration with Selle Royal to the gardening accessories made in natural cork by Tera®, the biodegradable silverskin-based straws created with Alpiplast, and the bio-cork which writes by Perpetua®, just to name a few.
That’s why chamomile production waste and lavender distillation residue have become the main ingredients of the latest project: a completely natural, aesthetically pleasing and scented packaging. The new material, obtained through a virtuous circular economy, provides such a high sensorial experience that it makes consumers want to reuse it once the product is finished.
“All of our blends stand out for their unique and natural look; Sughera, our flagship product, also has a particularly soft-touch effect,” explained Gianni Tagliapietra, the brand’s co-founder. “After having produced materials which were pleasant to see and touch, why not make ones which were pleasant to smell? The flower-based blends maintain the natural look of Mixcycling and add the scent of the fibers that make them up.”
The processing of the waste gets carried out in five phases: it starts from the selection of vegetable fibers which are then ground in a mill until they become a powder/grain of various grits; then they are sanitized and activated via the patented NTP Technology (Non-Thermal Plasma Technology) which eliminates microbes and increases adhesion between the fiber and the carrier polymer. Finally, the fibers are ground into a recycled, bio-based or biodegradable thermoplastic polymer. At this point the material is ready for different uses. This revolution creates tons of possibilities and will not only be good for the environment, as it turns waste into new resources, but will also make our future smell a bit better.
