Compostable Food Packaging
Compostable food packaging provides a circular packaging solution and has the potential to contribute towards the circularity of food waste. By breaking down into organic matter, under the correct conditions and through appropriate collection methods, compostable packaging can help to combat the issue of food contamination as packs and food can be composted together.
Compostable Food Packaging Requirements
As with other solutions, compostable packaging requires reliable waste collection and the correct treatment processes to make it effective. Closed-loop composting systems are the most effective way to ensure that compostable food packaging is correctly collected and disposed of, for maximum benefit.
We offer our customers packaging that can fit with existing closed-loop composting systems or can help them to establish their own solutions. Alongside partners in the UK and Europe, we can install on-site bio-processors that allow customers to digest all their compostable packaging and food waste on-site.
This helps us to guide customers in using closed-loop composting systems to correctly capture, process, and either use the compost on-site, or have it collected for anaerobic digestion.
Our Compostable Food Packaging
After pioneering compostable packaging for food products in the 1990s, we continue to consider compostability in the development of our food packaging.
In line with EN 13432, the European standard for packaging composting, many of our off-the-shelf products are made with materials which are certified as commercially compostable. We also offer specific packaging which has full pack composting certification. For custom food packaging projects, we help our customers to choose materials which are EN 13432 certified in support of sustainability goals. We can also work on bespoke projects to align with other international standards.
Within our product information tables, we utilise symbols to denote compostable paperboard and compostable window film. Where our products are marked as having ‘compostable board’ or a ‘compostable window’, this means that the relevant materials used are commercially compostable within 16 weeks or 90 days, to EN 13432.
Get in Touch
Looking for food packaging that aligns with your sustainability goals? Contact us today to discover how we can support you.
Recycling & Composting FAQs
As part of the PackUK Interim Steering Group, we are well placed to support our customers in interpreting their packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) obligations. We can help to guide you through your responsibilities and support your compliance, please contact us for additional information.
Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) is a new packaging reform in the UK that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of packaging and increase recycling rates.
It aims to do this by incentivising producers to only place recyclable packaging materials on the market. It assigns 100% of the financial responsibility to one producer in the supply chain. Organisations are classified under pEPR depending on the activity they perform in the supply chain, their turnover, and the amount of packaging they place on the market.
Our reference to ‘compostable materials’ means that the materials utilised to make the relevant product are certified to the EN 13432 standard and are suitable for composting in industrial composting facilities.
Find out more on our compostable food packaging page.
We are ready and able to help you with any queries on the Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) and packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR). We are able to provide RAM assessments for all the products we sell and can help you to understand the details of the material categories.
The Recyclability Assessment Methodology (RAM) is a framework under the UK packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) legislation that assesses the recyclability of packaging materials. It assesses material composition against the following criteria:
- Collection
- Sortation
- Application
- Reprocessing
In addition, it assigns a further red, amber, or green (RAG) sub-category to each product.
- Red: difficult to recycle at scale
- Amber: some challenges during collection and sortation, requires specialist infrastructure for reprocesses, or other issues
- Green: widely recyclable in current infrastructure