At bioaqualife®, we know that choosing the right sustainable solution raises important questions and we're here for all of them. Whether you're wondering how bioWRAP® compares to traditional shrink wrap, how fast it breaks down in landfills, or how to place your first order, this is the place to start. Our FAQ section is here to give you clear, honest answers.
Find answers to most common questions.
Yes — bioWRAP® shrinkwrap is fully compatible with spray paint, permanent markers (including Sharpie), decals, and stickers under normal use conditions. Installers can confidently mark, label, and customize wrapped boats, equipment, or structures without affecting the performance or integrity of bioaqualife® film.
What works well on bioWRAP®:
- Spray paint and paint marking – suitable for labeling and identification
- Permanent markers (Sharpie or similar) – ideal for quick job-site markings
- Decals and stickers – adhere properly and remain in place
- Post-wrap graphics and logos – can be applied and left for extended periods
- Sandblasting and outdoor exposure – film remains stable during use
In real-world applications, wrapped boats and structures have been marked with logos, graphics, and decals for up to 24 months, with no reported issues.
Important precaution: to ensure optimal performance, avoid using pure solvents or plastic-dissolving chemicals directly on the film. These types of materials may affect the integrity of any shrink wrap, including bioWRAP®.
11- Conventional shrink wrap: persists for centuries and fragments into microplastics
- bioWRAP®: converted by microorganisms into gas, water and organic matter. No microplastics left behind.
21bioWRAP® shrinks the same way. Becomes tougher and more durable once it has been shrunk. It’s no more flammable than traditional wrap.
bioWRAP® installs the same way as conventional shrink wrap. It will need a little less heat to weld the seams (consequently you will burn less propane). Once they are set, if properly done, they will never come apart. You may need to get used to little or even no taping!
The natural light provided by bioWRAP® would be equivalent to the conventional white shrink wrap.
We have a full UV package in our film. Proven effective for at least one year of full exposure.
1All our products undergo strength testing according to ASTM standards, with results available in our Product Data Sheet. bioWRAP® exhibits greater tensile strength than most conventional shrink wrap.
The current assortment of bioWRAP® has a US fire spread rating of E84 Class A. We’re working to introduce FR rating product assortment. Stay tuned for it!
All plastic films (shrink wraps) including the white ones are dyed. The natural color would be a milky white semi-transparent film. The dye in bioWRAP® has no environmental impact.
The choice reflects a conceptual decision to easily identify biodegradable products compared to conventional plastics (white, blue).
All our products work together seamlessly, and are designed for safe disposal in a solid waste dumpster.
It can also be recycled, but the paint contamination often prohibits that. Additionally, any contamination on the bioWRAP® from adhesives or paint over spray does not affect its biodegradability, although the paint itself may not be biodegradable.
bioaqualife® performs like traditional shrink wrap, requiring no special adjustments for installation temperature conditions.
Under optimal anaerobic conditions—like those in a landfill—our shrinkwrap biodegrades within the period of 3 to 5 years.This process is driven by our proprietary formula, which attracts anaerobic microbes that consume the material, converting it into natural byproducts: biomass, water, and gas. Unlike traditional plastics that persist for centuries, or oxo-degradable plastics that leave harmful microplastics and heavy metals behind, bioaqualife® shrinkwrap leaves no microplastics or toxic residue, ensuring it is a truly sustainable solution.
Our bioWRAP®, bioTAPE® and bioDOOR™ are designed to be a sustainable alternative to traditional shrinkwrap, they’re specifically formulated to break down in anaerobic (low oxygen) environments like those found in landfills. Here, natural microbial processes allow it to break down into water, gas, and organic matters —without leaving behind harmful microplastics.
For disposal, all bioaqualife® products can be safely discarded as solid waste and sent to a landfill, where they will biodegrade in a few years as intended. This means you can confidently dispose of them with regular waste, knowing it’s contributing to a reduced environmental footprint.
At the same time, if you have a responsible recycling program in your area, you can send them to recycling. The sad reality is that the vast majority of all shrinkwrap collected for recycling still ends up going to the landfill.
Is bioaqualife® shrinkwrap made from raw fossil fuels?
Yes, bioaqualife® shrinkwrap is made from a plastic base (LDPE) derived from fossil fuels, but it is engineered with a groundbreaking eco-friendly twist. During production - a key to its biodegradability that attracts anaerobic microbes that perceive the material as a food source, enabling the shrinkwrap to decompose entirely into natural byproducts like water, gas, and biomass within a period of 3-5 years, without leaving behind harmful microplastics.
bioaqualife® film stands apart from compostable and oxo-degradable plastics due to its superior biodegradability, environmental safety, and performance standards. Here’s why:
- True Biodegradability, Not Degradation:
Compostable plastics require specific industrial conditions—high heat, controlled moisture, and oxygen—to break down effectively. Outside these environments, they behave much like traditional plastics. Oxo-degradable plastics, on the other hand, degrade into microplastics and leave behind harmful residues, including heavy metals, that pollute ecosystems.
bioaqualife® film biodegrades completely in landfill-like anaerobic conditions, thanks to its proprietary formula. This ensures the material breaks down into natural byproducts—water, gas, and biomass—without leaving microplastics or toxic substances. - Performance that Stands Strong:
Many compostable plastics struggle to maintain durability and tensile strength, making them less practical for demanding applications. bioaqualife® wrap, however, combines ASTM-certified performance with eco-friendliness, offering robust strength and flexibility even in extreme temperatures—from freezing winters to sweltering summers. - Ease of Disposal:
bioaqualife® shrinkwrap doesn’t require special composting facilitieor incinerated (thanks to its FR rating), it minimizes environmental impact. This makes it more versatile and practical than compostable materials that often end up contaminating recycling streams or failing to decompose outside controlled conditions.
Innovation Beyond Quick Fixes:
Oxo-degradable plastics are a misleading “quick fix,” claiming biodegradability but contributing more harm than good. They rely on additives that cause fragmentation but fail to address the root problem: microplastics and toxicity. bioaqualife® is built differently, leveraging advanced chemistry to create a solution that works with nature, not against it.
No, bioaqualife® shrinkwrap products are specifically engineered to biodegrade in anaerobic (oxygen-free) environments, such as those found in landfills. Unlike traditional plastics that persist in these conditions, our film will break down organically with the help of anaerobic microbes present in landfills, ultimately turning into water, methane, and organic microbial remnants.
It’s important to note that bioaqualife® film does not degrade or compost in backyard settings, nor does it break down when exposed to sunlight or heat alone. This controlled biodegradation process is designed to activate only under specific landfill (low oxygen) conditions, ensuring that our film doesn’t disintegrate during typical use or storage.
bioWRAP® engineered to biodegrade only in landfill-like conditions. Its unique proprietary formula activates biodegradation when it’s exposed to the right mix of conditions — like those found in a landfills:
- Low oxygen (anaerobic)
- High moisture
- Microbial activity
These conditions are not present in open air or on warehouse shelves — so the material remains stable during storage and use.
No. It has no shelf life or expiry dates and will only biodegrade when disposed of in landfill conditions.
No. There is no toxic residue when the biodegradable plastic decomposes. Plastic such as polyethylene containing bioaqualife® proprietary formula breaks down to CH4, C02 and organic matter.
Yes. With so many manufacturers and retailers offering ‘green’ products, it has become confusing to distinguish between what is a genuine biodegradable product, what is a compostable product, what is a degradable product, and what are unsubstantiated claims. We have ASTM and BMP tests, which are recognized internationally as being the benchmark of verifications. The ASTM D5511 is a test performed by an independent laboratory that measures the carbon released from the plastic as a biogas to verify claims of biodegradability in anaerobic conditions, intending to replicate conditions found in a typical landfill.
bioaqualife® unique proprietary formula contains an organic enzyme to attract naturally occurring anaerobic bacteria in the landfill to break down the large plastic polymer molecules into smaller organic molecules that the bacteria then recognize as food. They then digest these smaller molecules and continue the process until the plastic is fully biodegraded.
Yes, our products are truly biodegradable when placed in an anaerobic environment such as a landfill – where 91% of all plastic waste will end up. Our proprietary formula contains organic enzyme that targets microorganisms capable of processing petroleum molecules. It has been tested using ASTM D5511 standards to ensure our plastics are truly biodegradable in a landfill.
Degradation is a decomposition process that terminates in the fragmentation of plastics under the conditions of heat, sunlight, and moisture, resulting in the weakening of the plastic’s physical structure. So-called « oxo» degradables are in this category. The end product is many microscopic particles that are even more problematic than before degradation, as they may find their way into the diet of animal life and influence the food chain.
Many experts have suggested that degradable plastics do not solve any problem but instead push the problem into the future, with the production of microplastics.
The European Union has banned these plastics for just this reason. We do not use or support oxo-degradable/fragmentable additives.
Compostable materials, like biodegradable materials, are broken down by microorganisms, but with a key difference: the broken-down matter must enhance the nutritious quality of the soil without introducing any toxicity.
Also, this entire process must take place within 12 weeks for a material to be considered compostable. Commercially produced compostable products (such as the compostable cutlery, cups and plates used by many restaurants) need to be sent to an industrial composting facility in order to biodegrade, where adequate conditions (such as temperature, humidity, etc.) are maintained.
They will not break down in a home compost pile or a landfill.
Theoretically, any material made up of organic compounds is biodegradable. No matter how long it takes, the carbon-based material will inevitably be oxidized into carbon dioxide and water via microbial respiration.
Biodegradable materials are materials that can be broken down naturally by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and algae. The degradation of these materials occurs in the presence of oxygen to produce water, carbon dioxide, minerals, and new biomass over time.
However, it is also possible for these materials to be biodegraded by anaerobic bacteria (in the absence of oxygen).
No. bioWRAP® performs like conventional shrinkwrap during storage and use.
The biodegradation mechanism activates only in a microbial landfill environment — not in air, sunlight, warehouses, or winter weather. The film remains stable:
- during seasonal storage
- in freezing temperatures
- under UV exposure during normal use
Installers can handle, heat-shrink, transport, and store it the same way as standard material. There is no premature deterioration because the biological trigger required for breakdown does not exist above ground.
The material is engineered to protect assets first — and only begin biodegrading after disposal.
These materials behave very differently:
Compostable plastic
Breaks down only in controlled industrial composting facilities with heat and oxygen. In landfills it usually behaves like conventional plastic because composting conditions are absent.
Oxo-degradable plastic
Fragments into smaller pieces through oxidation. It does not become food for microbes and can contribute to microplastic pollution. Many regions restrict or ban it.
Landfill-biodegradable plastic (bioWRAP®)
Designed specifically for anaerobic landfill environments. Microorganisms consume the material and convert it into water, gas and organic matter instead, leaving NO microplastics behind.
In short:
Compostable = compost facilities
Oxo = fragmentation, microplastics!
bioWRAP® = microbial digestion underground, no microplastic
