August 10, 2006

EcoCover News
Biodegradable Paper Mulch Mat Made from Waste Paper

First EcoCover Plant in the USA?

On Monday, August 7, we made an agreement in principle with the first EcoCover manufacturing plant purchaser in North America.  There is still much to be done to finalize the transaction.  If all goes according to plan, those of you who are interested in purchasing and sampling EcoCover will have a domestic source of supply next year.  This is what we have been working to achieve for almost 2 years.

EcoPotTops Are Working Extremely Well

The largest commercial nursery operation and container plant grower in the Brisbane, Australia market has been conducting a trial with 40,000 EcoCover EcoPotTops.  The product has worked so well, the company in Australia ordered 80,000 more.

Advantages include virtual elimination of hand weeding, a large reduction in water needed, reduced plant mortality and increased plant growth.  EcoPotTops are an excellent container weed barrier that reduce costs and increase profits.  If you are a container grower, we need to talk about doing your own comparison trial?

If you are evaluating the EcoCover business opportunity, the potential market for EcoPotTops in Australia is estimated at 60,000,000 pieces annually and over 1 billion pieces in the USA.

EcoPin™ Trial in New Zealand Near Completion

EcoCover is conducting a field trial in New Zealand for several hundred thousand EcoPin™, which is our organically certifiable biodegradable landscape pin and temporary survey marker.  Read more at www.ecopinusa.com.  When the performance data is collected and analyzed, the final production dies will be manufactured and we will begin volume production.

Those of you who have requested samples, they will be mailed before August 20.  Want to see a sample?  Please complete the questionnaire at the EcoPin™ USA website.

New Product:  EcoCoverRF™

The EcoCover plant in Auckland, New Zealand experimented several months ago with making our EcoCover Mulch Mat extended life product with reinforcement by laminating the mat with Hessian woven cloth.  The purpose of doing this is to make a structurally stronger product for high wind areas and steep slopes where greater shear strength is needed.  We provided samples to some our New Zealand customers and the acceptance has been amazing.  We are now backordered 3-4 weeks on EcoCoverRF™.

The cost of the product is approximately 33 cents US a square foot in New Zealand.  The product is unique in that it is both an excellent weed barrier and also has good soil stabilization qualities as well as being 100 percent biodegradable and organic.  Small samples are available.

Major Strawberry Grower to Trial EcoCover EcoCrop™

One of the largest berry growers in the world will be conducting their own field trail comparing EcoCover EcoCrop™ made black on one side with an organic dye to black plastic.  The trial will be conducted in the United States starting about October 1, 2006.  One of the major advantages of EcoCrop™ compared to plastic is that at the end of the growing season, there is nothing to take up or dispose of, which is a MAJOR problem and expense with plastic.  Till EcoCrop™ into the soil, that's all there is to do.

Other major advantages which should result from the trial include better plant growth, lower water consumption for irrigation and higher yields.  A recent trial in New Zealand resulted in 29.4 percent higher yields for tomatoes and 42.3 percent higher yields compared to black plastic.  Read more about it here.  Imagine 30-40 percent higher yields and the only difference is EcoCover.

Hunter Lovins Visits EcoCover Plant in Auckland
 

Sustainable business consulting guru and the best selling author of "Natural Capitalism", Dr. Hunter Lovins, visited the EcoCover plant in Auckland during her speaking tour down under in July.  She observed closely the manufacturing process and visited with EcoCover plant manager Phil Dunn and managing director Murray Cruickshank.  Hunter's conclusion: