Plastic packaging materials like parcels, stickers, and polythene bags account for 42% of all plastic produced worldwide.
Unfortunately, it has a very short usability lifetime (typically around 6 months or less). This is where businesses can take advantage of alternative solutions, like compostable packaging.
In fact, compostable packaging has the potential to extend the end-of-life performance of packaging materials.
Compostable packaging is a form of packaging made from various natural materials such as sugar cane, corn starch, potato starch, and wood pulp.
It is a popular sustainable packaging option because microorganisms can break down compostable materials into compost, a valuable fertilizer that enriches plants and soil. This helps reduce a large portion of plastic pollution by driving it away from waterways and landfills.
With home composting, the decomposition of organic waste into compost may take up to 180 days, but industrial composting facilities can decrease this time to 3 months.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about compostable packaging.
Traditional packaging options can be extremely wasteful and harm ecosystems. For that reason, it’s important to invest in compostable packaging options that are right for your product and logistics.
Fortunately, several packaging solutions are compostable. These include:
Cardboard and paper: Cardboard made from organic materials can be composted by simply putting it into a compost pile. Only add clean cardboard to compost bins because cardboard treated with chemicals can contaminate the compost and decrease its value.
A compostable cardboard box from EcoEnclose costs between $0.62 and $3.17, depending on the box dimensions.
DimensionsPrice 4" x 4" x 4"$0.62 8" x 8" x 4"$1.89 12" x 10" x 5"$3.17
Bubble wrap: Plant-based bubble wrap rolls are more eco-friendly than the traditional PE plastic ones. Compostable bubble wraps are made up of cornstarch polylactic acid polymers (PLA), and they can be completely degraded within 90 to 180 days.
A 50cm x 50cm roll compostable bubble wrap roll costs around $49.
Cornstarch: Cornstarch packaging materials are a viable alternative to styrofoam and plastics. They are developed from bio-based plastics, like PLA, that can be turned into nutrient-rich biomass through composting.
A compostable cornstarch bag costs between $0.10 to $0.40.
In addition, other eco-friendly packaging options are available for parcel shipping, such as Kraft paper rolls, postal tubes, tissue paper, and compostable mailers and envelopes.
For more information compostable poly bags, please get in touch with us!