Soap wrapping with translucent paper

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I so agree about not settling customers with plastic waste. But also am trying to eliminate it on my end as well; adhesives and label backing sheets are generally not recyclable. So we end up with extra trash that way.

I was thinking about this issue today, the fact that those backing sheets are coated in plastic, and actually am going to try the following out.

I think the backing sheets might make an excellent mold liner that's potentially reusable due to the plastic coating on them. I already reuse my freezer paper multiple times until it's no longer functional. I simply wipe it the freezer paper clean with alcohol & a rag, then stick it back in my molds. Even parchment paper is loaded with dioxins - if it's the white stuff - so no one method / material is perfect at this point. Good reason to use unbleached parchment paper in baking as well.

I also don't throw out the scraps surrounding the labels to reduce waste. I cut those bits into strips, and then smaller pieces using my Fiskars cutter - like one someone who is a card maker might use - and use those scraps as safety seals on my salves, body butters & other skin care products. My intent / train of thought is that this too reduces overall plastic usage because I it prevents me from using shrink bands of any type. I have an envelope full of these pieces. I just cut this stuff up when I'm sitting & watching videos on my laptop & apply the safety seals then as well. Those bits & pieces come in handy for many things.

For label sheets which are not so usable for this purpose - such as circular label sheets - those are the ones I am thinking which might make great mold liners. Then I will think of another use for them once they have outlived their lives for that purpose.

Every little bit helps in reducing plastic consumption & reusing the plastic we already have in as many ways as possible.
 
Another use for label backing sheets which are coated with plastic, which I just happened to find last night when looking up information needed to transfer my logo / sign graphics to various surfaces. I had seen the method of transferring & rubbing off the paper before, but this is much more effective, less time consuming & less labour intensive, especially when working with larger designs.



I have a tank printer which is several years old but have been considering buying a laser printer recently for many reasons. Even more reason to do so now.

This method would work great for signage & all sorts of other stuff. You can easily reuse the sheets if cleaned off with alcohol if any toner is left behind after applying the graphic. I'd suggest wearing gloves when cleaning them to avoid any toxins which could be in laser printer toner.
 
Oh more good ideas! Elevate packaging also has compostable cellophane bags (made from wood fiber) that look interesting. I did read that cellophane manufacture is pretty polluting so I need to research that more. But the labels look great! I need to work my way through a big box of shipping labels I got off of a clearance shelf at Staples. (Can you tell I’m a bargain hunter? 😁)
https://elevatepackaging.com/2-5-x-0-75-x-6-75-compostable-cellophane-bags/

Re: compostable plastics, on the surface, this sounds like a plus. But the more I look into them, the less positive they sound. In addition to the issue of toxins used / released in manufacturing them, they are being found to leach many toxic chemicals into groundwater, soil & so on, much of which ends up in the air as well as these things break down, and then back into our water supply. And the cycle continues from there. The way water naturally cycles plays into this. It doesn't just stay on / in the ground, whether a lake on a stream or an ocean....or a plastic with its many chemical ingredients Ultimately, until plastics are made with non-toxic materials rather than the thousands of chemicals currently used which are far from non-toxic, they are all a problem.

Personally, I decided against compostable plastics for this & other reasons.

We all need to make our own choices however, based on what we feel is right or what we are comfortable with.
 
I haven’t yet found the ideal paper, @Vicki C, but I did remember some thing about biodegradable shrink wrap. Have you looked into Biolefin? It contains an additive that breaks down the plastic molecules. When I was reading about it, I thought it paralleled changes from combining lye and oils to make soap. Maybe Biolefin is the “soap” of plastics?

I wonder if there is a way to get samples to test with soap?
I have used Biolefin for years, you can smell the soaps and see everything through it. I print paper labels and seal inside of the back side. works great! -




Biolefin · 100% Biodegradable Plastic Shrink Wrap · Reef Repair


Biolefin TM is a 100% biodegradable (Oxo-biodegradable) plastic shrink wrap that quickly bio-degrades into food for bacteria and other microorganisms after entering the environment. It does not degrade into micro plastics!
 
Also, sticker/label backing sheets aren't, I think, just plastic; they have an added silicone release agent which makes them unrecyclable as they contaminate the waste.
 
I have used Biolefin for years, you can smell the soaps and see everything through it. I print paper labels and seal inside of the back side. works great! -




Biolefin · 100% Biodegradable Plastic Shrink Wrap · Reef Repair


Biolefin TM is a 100% biodegradable (Oxo-biodegradable) plastic shrink wrap that quickly bio-degrades into food for bacteria and other microorganisms after entering the environment. It does not degrade into micro plastics!
I'd love to see the citation on this, and not just what the vendor is saying on their website.
 
Well this is disheartening but not surprising I guess. Biolefin only fragments, it doesn't break down into other compounds . Even the manufacturer says it's not home compostable. It uses an additive that lets microbes fragment it.. but it doesn't decompose like paper or true cellophane.

The Truth About Bioplastics
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2017/12/13/the-truth-about-bioplastics/
How Biodegradable is Biolefin? - The Nova Studio
https://thenovastudio.com/how-biodegradable-is-biolefin/
"Some polyolefins are oxo-degradable. This means they are made out of petroleum-based polymers with additives like metal salts to speed up decomposition. Oxo-degradable substances break down into tiny, microplastic bits in a short amount of time in airy, hot, and bright settings. Oxo-degradable materials are not biodegradable and will not degrade to the molecular level."

pdf
https://thenovastudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/biolefin-composting.pdf
 
Okay… well, onward. I got some 38 lb vellum tracing paper - it goes through the printer perfectly and makes nice translucent labels. They are a bit more stiff and crinkly than I would like but no plastic. The paper surgical tape works fine but looks a little clunky. I think I’m going to try using this for some of my soaps.IMG_2594.jpeg
 
Plastics aren’t the only thing we need to worry about. Had hoped Biolefin was a good answer until I did a scholarly lit search. Then I read that even paper products are problematic. PFAS forever chemicals and derivatives are used to make food product wraps and containers grease resistant. Our Town just installed a PFAS filtration system 💰💰💰 to treat our water.

We are swimming in our garbage, one portion of which is plastic, as I have said before....eating it, drinking it, wearing it, bathing in it....we need to collectively demand better. MUCH better.

We have so many issues related to the destruction of our planet & ourselves, on top of plastics, it isn't funny....but if we pick one & go step by step, it's doable. One inevitably leads to another as they are all very much connected.

@Vicki C I think that looks great!

I agree @Vicki C the label looks beautiful :)
 
Also, sticker/label backing sheets aren't, I think, just plastic; they have an added silicone release agent which makes them unrecyclable as they contaminate the waste.

Still, may be useable multiple times to line soap molds - especially smaller loaf molds - or to transfer branding images onto various surfaces. I will be doing this as soon as I receive my custom made displays.

Also possible to run it through a paper shredder for a more solidly packed protective packing material, although that doesn't solve the issue, and the end user still needs to deal with it.
 
Okay… well, onward. I got some 38 lb vellum tracing paper - it goes through the printer perfectly and makes nice translucent labels. They are a bit more stiff and crinkly than I would like but no plastic. The paper surgical tape works fine but looks a little clunky. I think I’m going to try using this for some of my soaps.View attachment 74361
I love the look of that label!

Dumb question about translucent vellum paper. Is it actually 100% paper? Or is it a composite material? Does it break down when wet like regular paper does?
 
I love the look of that label!

Dumb question about translucent vellum paper. Is it actually 100% paper? Or is it a composite material? Does it break down when wet like regular paper does?
Not dumb - just read that some vellum is made with “plasticized“ rag cotton. I am not clear if this includes the addition of plastic or is just the process for making it but I think it refers to the process. It looks like a lot of the websites have copied text from each other, especially vendors boasting that their paper is 100% recyclable, and they imply that plasticizing refers to the addition of plastic but I’m pretty sure it just means to make pliable.
I think vellum is all plant fibers. I can’t vouch for the process having a low carbon footprint, I have a feeling it does not. I think I’ll do a little experiment and put a piece in my compost bin. Of course, that won’t tell me if there are microplastics but I am curious whether it will break down.
 
Plastics aren’t the only thing we need to worry about. Had hoped Biolefin was a good answer until I did a scholarly lit search. Then I read that even paper products are problematic. PFAS forever chemicals and derivatives are used to make food product wraps and containers grease resistant. Our Town just installed a PFAS filtration system 💰💰💰 to treat our water.
Good to know, sad to know! I thought I had found my clear wrapping answer that was a responsible choice. Too good to be true! I'll be looking for a better option.
 
Okay… well, onward. I got some 38 lb vellum tracing paper - it goes through the printer perfectly and makes nice translucent labels. They are a bit more stiff and crinkly than I would like but no plastic. The paper surgical tape works fine but looks a little clunky. I think I’m going to try using this for some of my soaps.View attachment 74361
Vicky, so beautiful. May I ask where you purchased it? I did a search and vellum and tracing paper seem to each be different.
 
Vicky, so beautiful. May I ask where you purchased it? I did a search and vellum and tracing paper seem to each be different.
Sure I got it from Amazon - this one https://a.co/d/bU3OSkG
The whole lb of paper thing is SO confusing - I think you have to be in the industry for it to be intuitive. But I’m starting to get the gsm (grams per square meter) - this is 60 gsm, which is pretty light weight. It feels like vellum, not tracing paper as I remember it.
 
I also ordered tracing paper (lightweight vellum-ish) from Amazon. The brand is Canson Artist Series tracing paper, which is 25 lb/40 gsm, so a little lighter than what @Vicki C used. I can't find anything about how this particular paper is made, but did find this wiki page that describes the chemical process for making tracing paper/vellum, which involves sulfite processing of cellulose and does not involve plastic. I wasn't able to find this particular paper in standard letter size for feeding through a printer.

Here's a comparison of the two bakery papers (left and center; < $0.02 per sheet, each sheet wraps one of my bar soaps) and the Canson paper (right; $0.15 per 9x12 sheet, can cut to wrap at least two bar soaps). I like the look of the tracing paper the best, followed by the brown bakery tissue. I haven't tried it yet, but based on how it feels I am reasonably certain that the tracing paper will go through the printer without damage. The white tissue is the most wrinkled which is a negative, but that particular sheet came from the top of the box and I took the second photo in bright angled sunshine in order to accentuate the wrinkles. Based on my experience with the brown tissue, the white tissue should be less wrinkled as I get further into the box. Both bakery tissues are letting (a lot?) more scent through compared with the tracing paper. I guess that could be a negative or a positive depending on whether or not I want to use a display soap.

IMG_0278.jpegIMG_0279.jpeg

Thanks @Vicki C for getting this thread started! I like having these options.
 
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