Why Landfill-Biodegradable Innovation Matters for NZ Farms?

Biowrap is leading the way with landfill-biodegradable innovation, helping New Zealand farms adopt sustainable solutions that reduce plastic waste.

Plastic wrap is one of farming’s most useful tools — but it’s also one of its biggest headaches. From hay bales to silage stacks, farms run on plastic. The problem? Once it’s done its job, most of it heads straight for the skip, and eventually, landfill. 

That’s the challenge Biowrap is tackling head-on. The Kiwi company has launched a range of landfill-biodegradable agricultural wraps that perform just like conventional plastics but break down faster and cleaner once they’re discarded. It’s a practical step forward for an industry that’s often caught between productivity and sustainability. 

 

From Building Sites to Paddocks 

The idea behind Biowrap didn’t just come from a lab — it came from lived experience. With more than 20 years in the building industry, the founders saw mountains of plastic wrap piling into skips with nowhere better to go. At the same time, having grown up on farms in Dannevirke and Christchurch and now based in North West Auckland, they recognised the same issue facing rural New Zealand: plastic is essential, but waste is inevitable. 

Rather than accept the problem, they looked for answers. That search led them to Biogone in Australia, a company pioneering landfill-biodegradable plastic technology since 2010. Together, they’ve brought that innovation into agriculture. 

 

Farmers Wanted Change — Loud and Clear 

Biowrap’s team spent time on the ground at National Fieldays, listening to farmers. The message was blunt: recycling is too expensive, collection too patchy, and most of the time, the plastic still ends up in landfill. That reality lit a fire under the company’s mission. 

Biowrap supports recycling and notes that the Government’s plastic stewardship scheme is a step in the right direction. But the reality is clear — unless recycling becomes easier and cheaper, most farm plastics won’t make it back into the loop. That’s where landfill-biodegradable technology comes in. 

 

Same Strength. Smarter Ending. 

Biowrap’s bale net, bale wrap and silage wrap look and feel just like the products farmers are already using. They’ve got the same tensile strength, UV protection and sealing power. Feed stays fresh. Bales stay tight. Nothing changes in day-to-day use. 

The difference comes when the wrap’s job is done. 

  • If it’s recycled, the special additive doesn’t interfere with the process because it’s additive is not embedded in the plastic polymers 
  • If it ends up in landfill, microbes do the work. They’re drawn to the organic additive in the plastic and start breaking it down at a pace that is up to 90% faster than traditional plastic break down rates. 

Instead of sticking around for centuries, the material transforms into a humus-like organic matter and biogas, which can be captured for energy production. No microplastic fragments. No toxic legacy. 

 

Built for Real Farm Conditions 

Biowrap knows farmers don’t have time to muck around with fragile or fiddly products, so performance has been kept front and centre. 

  • Bale Net (HDPE): standard white finish, UV resistant, indefinite shelf life, 1.23m wide, 3,000m long, 40kg rolls. 
  • Bale Wrap Film: light green, 375mm wide, 1,500m long, 25 microns thick. 

All three products can be recycled where facilities exist — but crucially, if they don’t, they won’t sit in the ground for generations. 

 

The Bigger Picture 

Independent lab tests under ASTM D5511 and BMP protocols back up Biowrap’s biodegradability claims. But what really makes this innovation important is its fit with reality. Rural recycling options are limited, time is short, and plastic is not going away. 

Biowrap’s approach doesn’t pretend to solve everything. What it does is bridge the gap between what’s needed now and where the industry needs to go. By giving plastics a cleaner end-of-life, it makes waste management less of a burden and more of a stepping stone to a sustainable future. 

 

A Practical Step Forward 

For New Zealand’s rural sector, where productivity and environmental responsibility are under constant pressure, Biowrap offers a refreshingly grounded solution. Farmers get the performance they trust — and peace of mind knowing that if the plastic ends up in landfill, it won’t be there forever.

It’s not the final word on plastics, but it is a meaningful one. A product that works as hard as farmers do, while taking some of the weight off their environmental footprint.