Leading the Transition

Consumers have been demanding sustainable alternatives to plastic. Socially conscious organisations are crying out for a product that will meet that demand. Governments, under pressure from campaigners, are introducing regulations that place limitations on single use plastics and make them a less viable option.

We’re in the vanguard of companies that are leading the transition to the use of sustainable plastic alternatives. Solinatra is an industry leading product, and we’re going to use it to change the world for the better.

The Challenge

Let’s spell it out. The single use plastics in everyday products and packaging contribute to:

The contamination of our environment
Microplastics in our oceans and food chain
The depletion of finite resources
Pollution from the extraction and refinement of fossil fuels

The transition towards bioplastics is in its earliest phase. Other ‘compostable’ plastics break down but still leave microplastics. The current regulatory standard does not go far enough - it requires only for residual microplastics to be less than 2mm in size.

Our challenge has been to develop a replacement material that has none of these negative impacts on our planet. And that means setting our own standards that far exceed current regulation regarding residual plastics.

Product Life Cycle

We’ve expanded on the agricultural growth/decay cycle, giving a use and a value to what were formerly waste products.

Agriculture uses sunlight and water to turn seeds into nutritious plants.

Only some of what is grown is suitable for consumption by humans and livestock.

We can take waste biomaterial and turn it into our patented biomaterial: Solinatra.

Solinatra can be moulded into an alternative to plastic products and packaging.

Products and packaging serve their primary purpose as an alternative to traditional plastics.

Solinatra biodegrades to soil with zero contamination, safe for use as compost.

We’ve expanded on the agricultural growth/decay cycle, giving a use and a value to what were formerly waste products.

Agriculture uses sunlight and water to turn seeds into nutritious plants.

Only some of what is grown is suitable for consumption by humans and livestock.

We can take waste biomaterial and turn it into our patented biomaterial: Solinatra.

Solinatra can be moulded into an alternative to plastic products and packaging.

Products and packaging serve their primary purpose as an alternative to traditional plastics.

Solinatra biodegrades to soil with zero contamination, safe for use as compost.

Glossary - Defining Compostables

We use the phrase ‘truly compostable’ because the adjective ‘compostable’ has been defined rather generously by companies and regulators to include products that can be composted using specialist high temperature processing machines. Technically, yes, that is still composting, but you can’t do it in your garden.

Compostable

An item that fully biodegrades, returning to water, carbon and biomass within a certain timeframe.
Industrially Compostable

An item can be composted under industrial conditions, in a large scale facility with regulated conditions at temperatures of 50-70° celsius, within 6 months. An item may be industrially compostable but not home compostable. Currently for an item to be verified as Industrial Compostable it must be certified to BS EN 13432.

However this standard allows that after 12 weeks 10% of the material can still remain in fragments (micro plastics) larger than 2mm and ignores any fragments (micro plastics) smaller than 2mm.
Home Compostable

Also sometimes referred to as Domestic Compostable, is an item that can be composted in a regular compost bin at ambient temperatures of 20-30° celsius within 12 months. There is currently no international standard specifying the conditions for home composting of biodegradable plastic products, but there are national standards such as the Australian AS 5810 and French NFT 51-800.

However both of these standards allow that after 26 weeks 10% of the material can still remain in fragments (micro plastics) larger than 2mm and ignores any fragments (micro plastics) smaller than 2mm.

An item that is home compostable will also be industrially compostable, but not vice versa.
Truly Compostable

An item that is fully compostable with no special industrial processes required and that will disintegrate if it ends up in landfill, with food waste or simply buried in your garden without any residual micro plastics or toxicity and will actually enhance the soil creating good quality fertiliser.

There is currently no international standard specifying the conditions for truly composting of biodegradable plastic products, but there is an increasing awareness of the necessity to set and communicate such standard.

FAQs

What does Solinatra mean?

Solinatra is a combination of ‘Soli’ which is Latin for ‘Only’ and also an anagram of soil and ‘Natra’ which is a contraction of Nature. Solinatra thus stands for only natural. The origin of the product is agricultural waste, and after use the Solinatra decays back into soil to grow new agricultural crops: a truly circular product!
What is Solinatra made of?

Solinatra is made of natural organic ingredients, derived from plants, utilising agricultural or food manufacturing waste to recycle into bio-polymer gaining an extra life from the organic matter.
Is Solinatra Biodegradable/Compostable

Yes. Solinatra is totally biodegradable in all situations and is truly sustainable. Because only natural products are used to make Solinatra: only natural products are left behind to decompose naturally.
Can I put Solinatra products into my garden, or compost at home?

Yes. Solinatra will degrade in your garden. The speed at which it totally biodegrades is dependent on temperature and bacterial activity.
For what products can Solinatra replace plastic?

Solinatra can be used for the majority of single use items used on a daily basis all around the world like straws, stirrers, coffee capsules, single use cutlery, at present Solinatra cannot be used to make bottles.
Is Solinatra vegan and gluten free?

Solinatra contains no additives derived from animals so is 100% Vegan. Various derivatives of Solinatra may contain wheat products and although not activated into gluten there may be traces of wheat in the material.
Does it affect the taste or smell of the product it's packaging?

All applications will be supplied with individually independently tested migration certification to show that it doesn’t affect the taste or smell of the product it is packaging. Solinatra is available in a number of different recipes and can be fine tuned to a specific application.
Wouldn’t using recyclable materials such as aluminium be a better solution?

In certain circumstances recycling is a good option where there is the infrastructure to accommodate recycling, however unless 100% of the products are recycled it is flawed. It is estimated that even with recycling in place ONE BILLION aluminium coffee capsules still end up in landfill every year!
Who is behind Solinatra?

Coda Group teamed up with scientists and academics to find a sustainable plastic alternative. Coda has been making plastic products and packaging for over 40 years, they recognise that some of these products are not fully recycled or sustainable. This is the exact reason that Coda Group has developed Solinatra to try and make a positive change.
How do you offset the environmental effects from the production and shipping of Solinatra?

Solinatra is made from a high percentage of agricultural waste, this waste is usually fed to animals or simply ploughed back into the land. By using this waste locally to the manufacturing plant Solinatra not only reduces the carbon footprint of manufacturing (vs traditional plastics) we are also capturing the carbon used to harvest the waste and recycling that energy into a new product before returning it to the earth at the end of its use.
What is the carbon footprint of Solinatra vs other materials?

We are currently working on having a full Life Cycle Analysis carried out and will publish the results in due course.
Wouldn’t we be better off getting rid of single use products and packaging altogether?

Yes in some instances this is true. However, the world is currently a “convenience” driven place and getting the world’s population to reverse those habits will take a very long time if ever. And all of the while: these highly polluting single-use items are still being used. Solinatra “makes it alright” for consumers to have their convenience and actually feed the earth rather than pollute it.
Aren’t there more effective solutions, such as forcing manufacturers to take back used products?

Much the same as recycling, unless you have 100% participation many single use products still end up in landfill or being littered.
Will this new material confuse consumers about what they can put into garden waste?

At present, we believe consumers are already confused about recycling, composting, food waste, garden waste and until the authorities come together to have single waste solutions that are the same for everyone then there will continue to be confusion. Solinatra is unique in that it “makes it alright” in whatever happens to the material at end of life. It will degrade with garden waste, food waste and also in landfill with no toxic residue and even if it gets caught in a recycling stream it will still be discarded and then degrade.
How do I know if my single use item is made of Solinatra?

The Solinatra “S” logo is made available to all companies that use Solinatra for their products and can be included on packaging and also moulded/embossed directly onto products to identify them.
How can I make sure the products I am using are made of Solinatra?

You can contact the companies supplying you with product by email or social media to encourage them to switch to Solinatra.
Why does Solinatra not have the Industrial or Home Compostable certification marks?

Solinatra is a very different biomaterial to those currently on the market. It is known that these certification standards allow 10% of the product to remain in the soil after composting and many of the materials currently on the market have low levels of plastic in them to make them process. This means that within that 10% micro plastics will be left behind in the compost and thus enter the human food chain. We’re campaigning for compostability standards that meet our much stricter criteria.
Does Solinatra contain any plastic made from fossil fuel?

No, Solinatra is 100% fossil fuel plastic free.

What Next?

Brands

We’re actively seeking to partner with socially conscious brands who could incorporate our plastic alternative in their products or packaging.

Get in Touch!

Consumers

Let us know what you think of the way our product is being put to use by contacting us directly or asking questions on our social media.

Who we are

Coda Group is at the forefront of the change from plastics to sustainable alternatives. Originally a plastics processor, Coda Group adds the necessary knowhow to enable the transition. Coda Group invites other parties to join into the transition. The more industry partners join, the swifter the pollution can be limited and the transition to a truly sustainable world can succeed.

The sustainable and truly compostable plastic alternative

Leading the Transition

The Challenge

Our Solution

Product Life Cycle

Product Life Cycle

We’ve expanded on the agricultural growth/decay cycle, giving a use and a value to what were formerly waste products.

Glossary - Defining Compostables

FAQs

What Next?

Who we are

Get in Touch