Over the last few years, the amount of plastic waste generation in India is surging at incredibly higher rates, among which the single-use plastics contribute greater volumes. In fact, there are numerous piles of plastic cups, poly-bags, wrappers and other materials lying not only on the roadsides and empty pits, but across the water bodies too. Yet on the bright side, we have a swarm of companies that are leveraging their best expertise to devise solutions that can mitigate this biggest problem of plastic waste generation. Blend Colours Private Limited is one such company that has developed a dedicated initiative ­ Oxygreen, to provide green plastic solutions aiming towards a better environment. Harnessing Biodegradable technology, Oxygreen converts discarded plastics into degradable plastics in the safest manner. Just one percent of Oxygreen biodegradable plastic additive which is produced by twin screw extrusion process, accelerates the ability of plastics to bio-degrade in anaerobic & aerobic environments. This way, it is no longer a plastic, but a bio-assimilated material. Hence, do not ban it and add Oxygreen to it!

Sharad Rathi, Managing Director, Blend Colours, asserts, "We are one of the first companies to approve Oxygreen with ASTM D6954 standard in India to prove the nature of oxo-biodegradability. Our goal is to make environment-friendly plastics with the motto ­ Plastic Made with Oxygreen ­ Biodegrades, leaving nothing behind". Oxygreen's primordial goal is to provide economical and practical solutions to manufacturers so that they adapt

biodegradable plastics in their product range. Some of the application areas of this unique product are shopping bags, garbage bags, ziplock bags, bread bags, cling films, agricultural mulch films, gloves, shrink-wraps, bubble-wraps, and others. No wonder, Oxygreen silhouettes as a highly competitive player in Hyderabad with three manufacturing units, exporting its products to 15 (more than 50 countries) countries across the globe by adhering to international quality accreditations.

3-Tier Analysis
Each plastic under biodegradation process at Oxygreen ought to go through a 3-Tier analysis in accordance with ASTM D6954 standards. During Abiotic Degradation (Tier-1), samples are subjected to a combination of oxygen, heat and/or light to reduce molecular weight and/or mechanical properties. The rate of molecular weight loss across these samples is measured after oxidation, while ASTM D5208 is deployed for fluorescent UV exposure of photodegradable plastics. Later, in Biotic Degradation (Tier-2) process, these samples are exposed to biodegradation tests as per ASTM D5988 standards, wherein the time profile of CO2 evolution and time to reach appropriate thresholds are recorded. In Eco-toxicity (Tier-3) process, samples are tested for ecological impact in the final disposal medium akin to all biodegradation testing methods.

Oxygreen's primordial goal is to provide economical and practical solutions to manufacturers so that they adapt biodegradable plastics in their product range

Only post this 3-Tier analysis, each plastic product is sent out to supply! Thanks to Ravikumar Pulapa (Technical & Project Head) with rich expertise in biodegradable projects who has been working in Biodegradable subject for last nine years, as well as its R&D and technical teams. Sharad adds, "Currently, we are working on PLA, PBT, Compostable & Bio-based Compounds across our new product line, while seeking our Oxygreen product approvals from the Middle East and other major regions.

Rich Legacy!
Blend Colours is a part of Shree Group of Companies which is involved in manufacturing Flexible Packaging, Polybags, Chemicals & Pharmaceutical products, with a turnover of $130 million. When the group diversified into manufacturing of master batches & compounds, Blend Colours was established in 1998-99. An ISO 9001:2015 certified company, Blend Colours outshines as the preferred Export House by Govt. of India with businesses (25 percent exports) spread over 50 countries. It aims to offer efficient customer services via well-equipped R&D, technically advanced production & testing facilities, qualified human capital, and stringent third-party inspection.