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Blutech Visor
Accelerated Biodegradation Technology
Traditional plastic visors can take hundreds or even thousands of years to decompose, depending on the type and conditions. That’s where Blutech comes in – this innovative technology drastically accelerates the visor’s biodegradation rate. Unlike regular plastic, this visor is sustainable and made with the planet in mind. At Whelk, we exclusively include Blutech visors in all of our caps.
The Biodegradation Process
Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.
While we encourage responsible disposal of our headwear, including disassembly for reusing and recycling, the sad reality is that 85% of textiles are thrown away or burned in the U.S.A. alone. With this in mind, our Blutech visors are designed to naturally biodegrade after its final use.
- Once in a landfill, the Blutech visor is chemically designed to attract surrounding microbes.
- The microbes will feast on the visor. Depending on several factors, it can take up to many years for them to complete their meal.
- As the colonies of microbes digest the visor, they will poop out water, minerals, biomass and gaz - natural elements!
How Fast Will It Biodegrade?
In our quest for transparency, biodegradation rate tests have been conducted in controlled environments on items with and without Blutech to demonstrate its efficacy. While various factors influence biodegradation rates, findings confirm that Blutech significantly accelerates the natural breakdown of plastic, contributing to a more sustainable future.
FAQ
The difference between regular visors and Blutech visors is that Blutech creates an opportunity for microbes to utilize plastic as food.
In these conditions, the microbial environment is suspended or dormant. These two types of environnements do not provide the circumstances needed for biodegradation to occur. Blutech requires an active microbial environment in order to activate, which is one that contains active fungal and bacterial colonies, such as a landfill.
A Blutech visor is made of plastic mixed with the Blutech additive.
Blutech allows the formation of a coating called biofilm on the plastic visor. The biofilm is made up of colonies of microorganisms that penetrate the visor. These microbes then send out chemical signals that attract other microbes and encourages them to colonize on the surface of the visor. Collectively, they then secrete acids that break down the visor’s chemical bonds. Microbes utilize the carbon backbone of the polymer chain as an energy source. In other words, Blutech creates an opportunity for microbes to utilize the visor as food.
The Blutech biodegradation process can take place in either aerobic (with oxygen) or anaerobic (without oxygen) environments with active fungal and bacterial presence. These conditions determine what by-products are produced such as carbon dioxide, methane, water, minerals and new microbial cellular constituents (biomass).
Nope, Blutech is odourless and does not modify the look and feel, nor the strength of the visor. With that in mind, a Blutech visor will perform just like a traditional visor when used.
Blutech is an organic additive that significantly accelerates the plastic’s biodegradation rate.
Not at all! Blutech is an organic additive that is non-toxic and approved by the U.S.A.’s Food and Drug Administration.
Blutech is an additive added to a visor which will accelerate its biodegradation rate. It does not affect the visor’s waterproofness or weaken it upon contact with water such as rain or in the laundry. The biodegradation process will only begin in a water environment if it contains an active microbial colonies during a long period of time. For example, if you lose your Blutech cap during a boat ride on the ocean, the active microbial presence in the seawater will trigger the biodegradation process during the following months.
A Blutech visor offers the same characteristics as a regular visor, but it also has a sustainable edge. With Blutech headwear offered in the same price range as traditional headwear, there’s no reason not to opt for Blutech headwear.
Although Blutech has incredible environmental perks, it does increase the production cost of plastic components by approximately 5%. We’re willing to absorb this difference because it’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, many companies simply aren’t willing to sacrifice this margin as they prefer to prioritize profits over the planet.