The problem of billions of non-biodegradable plastic straws ending up in the world’s oceans has received much attention of late. This prompted local security seal specialist, TruSeal (Pty) Ltd, to investigate environmentally-friendly options for its range of tamper-evident plastic security seals.

“We use a lot of plastic in the Security Seal industry, the seals are used to secure moveable goods and high-value assets in several logistics-based industries including the retail and supply chain environments. They are ubiquitous and, once used, have the potential to become an environmental nuisance if not properly-managed,” says TruSeal director, Brent Cramer.

“Currently, plastics only break down into smaller constituent parts. While saving landfill space, this has remained a source of concern for some time and so we’re especially pleased to have sourced a green solution to the issue of using once off use plastics adding to the carbon footprint of several client industries,” explains Mr Cramer.

The new TruSeal product extension is produced in a special biodegradable material sourced from Malaysia. Once this material comes into contact with an environment like a landfill - or even a compost heap - where certain naturally-occurring microbes are present, it will begin to biodegrade. “This is an incredible solution to a burgeoning issue for our industry,” adds Mr Cramer.

Biodegradable security seals are used by a mere handful of companies across the globe, with TruSeal being the first in South Africa to roll-out this green solution. The company says it is preparing an impressive 250 000 biodegradable security seals for delivery across South Africa in the first quarter of 2019. From this first green option, TruSeal will eventually phase in a biodegradable option across all of its product lines.

The TruSeal security seal system creates collective responsibility around moveable items like airline cargo, fast-moving consumer goods, high-value electronic products, other valuable commodities and transported goods. The system identifies each individual in the custodial chain and creates a sense of ownership. Numbers and unique identifying marks also create an audit trail that prevents theft. Seals clearly indicate signs of tampering and can identify the person responsible for the goods at the time of the tampering.

The TruSeal product range includes tamper-evident security seals, security bags, key wallets, pouches, security envelopes and heavy-duty bulk cash sacks. In addition, the company’s extensive local manufacturing facilities ensure products are effectively customised for the unique South African commercial and industrial climate.