Heiwa Paper Launches World's First Biodegradable, Waterproof Printing Paper

Heiwa Paper recently started selling "Biocycle," a new type of environmentally friendly printing paper that can be decomposed by soil bacteria in about 6 months. The paper is produced by applying a biodegradable waterproof resin on the surface of 100-percent recycled paper.

Because conventional paper is made of organic material it can be decomposed by microorganisms in the soil over time. However, general synthetic papers and film-coated papers chosen for their waterproof characteristics in uses (such as outdoor posters) cannot be decomposed by microorganisms.

"Biocycle" is waterproof and decomposes completely into water and carbon dioxide. It's main benefits are that it can be used as a printing paper for a waste-free society, it can be used in high-quality offset printing, and it comes in the same price range as conventional synthetic papers.




Posted: 2002/08/31 04:42:01 AM
Japanese version