BOUTIQUE RESTAURANT CLEANING PRODUCTS????

We have been approached by Sonnentor Penang, which is part of the Singapore based Real Food group, to recycle the organic Sunflower and Sesame Seed oils used in their cooking.

These guys are passionate about creating good, ethical and healthy food, and therefore it makes sense that they care about what happens to waste products, including their cooking oil.

The challenge then is for Indochine Natural’s co-founder, Dr. Mike Thair, to develop a liquid cleaning product using their organic cooking oil waste. First step will be a determination of the saponification value of this mixed organic oil, then to calculate a liquid soap making recipe, and run some tests to see if the recipe works. Test batches will then be produced, and these will be put through their paces in the restaurant to determine cleaning effectiveness  and ensure that staff are happy with the results.

If all works out ok, then we can start producing a liquid cleaning product from their waste organic cooking oil. This is a very nice and sustainable solution for a waste product, and producing what is truly a boutique cleaning solution.

Read more about Indochine Natural’s environmental and Fair Trade activities 

Email Dr. Mike if you would like to know more, or would like to discuss a boutique recycling solution for your restaurant. 

Setting up lab equipment for saponification value determination and test batch

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

A key company and product value at Indochine Natural is a move towards more sustainable packaging, and the current focus is our soap packaging.

Our primary packaging goals are:

·      Eliminate any product packaging that is not necessary

·      Ensure that the packaging fulfills all functional requirements, e.g. product containment and protection, convenience, accessibility, communication and marketing.

·      Design for accessibility to ensure that:

(i) the package can be easily opened by consumers, especially those with limited strength or movement (e.g. arthritis sufferers and the elderly).

(ii) essential information on the label should easy to read, and compliant with international cosmetics regulations.

The result of our efforts to move towards more sustainable packaging our new Kraft soapboxes that have been in use now since earlier this year. We have eliminated shrink-wrapping, and these boxes are a lot easier to open than the shrink-wrap. There is now more space for labeling, which has enables us to increase the font size and make the labels easier to read.

We encourage consumers to do their part, and recycle packaging. Also, please contact Indochine Natural  with your suggestions on how we can further improve and make our packaging more sustainable.

Check out our new Kraft soap boxes on the Indochine Natural website 

SUPPORT POSITIVE BUYING

Positive buying is favoring ethical products, be they fair trade, cruelty free, organic, recycled, re-used, or produced locally. At Indochine Natural we have bundled a few of these elements into one product- our Eco-friendly Household General Cleaning Liquid.

It is made in Penang (produced locally) by a group of intellectually disabled we have trained (Fair Trade) and made from recycled cooking oil they collect from Halal restaurants (recycled).

Our intellectually disabled partners produce the base for us, and at Indochine Natural we add the fragrance, package, label and distribute.

THE GOOD NEWS: Our intellectually disabled partners earn 20% of the retail price, and this goes directly towards helping these folk on their journey towards economic and social independence.

If you are in Malaysia, available from all JustLife stores, or the Indochine Natural online shop if you are in Malaysia or Europe.

For other countries email us and we will arrange to ship it to you. 

 

Natural sustainable insecticides on veggie and plants

Few days ago, we have a phone call to our office to asked if our Eco Friendly General Cleaning Liquid can be used as "natural sustainable insecticides on veggie and plants"in Organic farm.  Our first reply was, "we don't now much about that, you may try and experience it yourself". The question never went off our mind about, whether you can use liquid soap as insecticides?


As I find out after some researches, you certainly can, when used in spray form with water diluted ratio of 2%, and it has been practised for more than 200 years.  

How it works as insecticides :  Liquid soap potassium salt disrupt the insect's cell membranes and removes their protective outer waxy coating causing death through excess loss of water. Insects must come in direct contact with the soap solution for it to be effective.  It's most effective with soft-bodied insects such as aphids, mites, mealybugs and psyllids and must sprays directly to cover the insects.

Attentions :  Mix with water to produce a solution of 2% concentration.  Try in small area first before apply widely.  Do not apply on the hot, sunny day to avoid leafs damages.  Repeat applications may be needed in short period (4 to 7 days) to control certain insects.

Biodegradable, safe on Earth : Our Natural Liquid cleaning soap is made from Recycle cooking oils and contain no synthetic.  The process of making liquid soap start by combining Potassium Hydroxide with Oils to create saponification process turned oils to potassium salt of fatty acid (soap) plus glycerol.  This make our liquid soap can easily break down by micro-organisms, there for biodegradable, safer to use than the most insecticides available alternative.

Another useful of Eco Friendly General Cleaning Liquid, we are so happy. 

Recycle, Reuse, Reduce.

Supports information from "Colorado State University Extension entomologist and professor, bioagricultural sciences and pest management. 12/96. Reviewed 3/08".