Compostable snack packaging guide with examples

We see lots of litter at roadsides. This is a major issue in society. Events, festivals, holiday parks, petrol stations, and take-away restaurants use large amounts of disposable packaging, but how sustainable are these types of disposables? PaperWise’s compostable snack packaging is a sustainable alternative.

We have witnessed a growing awareness of the use of environmentally friendly packaging. The increasing demand from producers and consumers for sustainable disposable packaging has reached a tipping point. PaperWise offers sustainable solutions for environmentally friendly, compostable packaging for snack, to-go, and disposable products. By choosing PaperWise, you can reduce your ecological footprint and help reduce plastic pollution. Bye bye plastic, hello compost!

Clients ask us many questions about the waste stage of disposable packaging. Which snack to-go packaging is recyclable? And which disposable packaging is compostable? We recommend that our clients start thinking about the waste phase of their disposable packaging during the design phase. PaperWise paper and board is certified for composting, both for the industrial EN13432 standard and for DINCERTCO’S CERTIFICATE FOR COMPOSTING AT HOME. Additionally, PaperWise paper and board can be easily recycled along with waste paper. Whether the snack, to-go, or disposable packaging can be composted or recycled depends on the user case and the coating, laminate, or barrier that is applied to the PaperWise paper and board. Another factor is the ink used for the print work on the packaging. To meet the composting standards, PaperWise paper and board have been tested on four significant environmental aspects:

• Disintegration (transformation into compost)
• Biodegradability
• Ecological toxicity (effects on plant growth and earthworms)
• Chemical analysis (demonstrable environmental compatibility)

Composting can only occur at the correct temperature and moisture level with the presence of bacteria that essentially eat and digest the product. The most important difference between industrial composting in accordance with standard EN 13432 and the DIN CERTCO’S CERTIFICATE FOR COMPOSTING AT HOME is the temperature during the test. The test for industrial composting in accordance with standard EN 13432 takes place at temperatures between 60°C and 75°C for a period of one week or longer, and above 40°C for at least four weeks. The entire testing period lasts 26 weeks. In comparison, DIN CERTCO’S certification test for composting at home takes place at regular outdoor temperatures, meaning between 26°C and 30°C.

PaperWise paper and board for sustainable disposable packaging passed both the test for industrial composting in accordance with standard EN 13432 and the DIN CERTCO’S certification test for composting at home with flying colours and was awarded both certifications. Within four weeks, the majority of PaperWise paper and board is composted. After thirteen weeks, the PaperWise paper and board has completely disintegrated (degraded into compost). It is even more impressive that this happened at the low temperature specified in DIN CERTCO’S standard for composting at home.

A number of PaperWise clients have already chosen the sustainable option by giving agricultural waste a second life as a valuable raw material for environmentally friendly and compostable packaging. An example of this is Landal GreenParks, for whom sustainability is a core goal. This operator of holiday parks owns approximately 15,000 holiday accommodations in 90 holiday parks across Europe, specifically in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. We process PaperWise Natural Grease Resistant into sustainable to-go packaging for chips and fast food for Landal GreenParks. PaperWise’s sustainable disposable packaging for Landal GreenParks are recyclable, compostable, and free of fossil-based plastics. As leftover food remains on the packaging after use, the paper recycling industry does not want to recycle the packaging. The sustainable PaperWise disposable packaging can be fermented and composted, resulting in green gas and compost. This is currently not the case because a number of chain partners will need to implement changes for this innovation. PaperWise stands ready to help bring this innovation to market for Landal GreenParks as soon as the priority is to close the organic cycle. Currently, we are making material gains and see opportunities for the waste phase.

Since 2005, Tomorrowland has become the largest Belgian outdoor dance event, attracting over 400,000 visitors. Tomorrowland is also helping to give agricultural waste a second life in the form of PaperWise paper and board. As of 2018, Tomorrowland’s sustainable and disposable snack packaging is made from PaperWise Natural Grease Resistant. Using this plastic-free chip and fast food snack plastic packaging substantially reduces the environmental impact following the festival.

The Swiss company Pacovis AG has developed an entire product range of disposable utensils and to-go food packaging called Naturesse. This sustainable, disposable packaging is available throughout Europe. A number of types of PaperWise paper and board products were used in this extensive product range of environmentally friendly disposables. PaperWise Natural Moisture Resistant was used to make the sustainable, compostable salad packaging; PaperWise Natural Grease Resistant was used in making the environmentally friendly disposable snack to-go packaging, and PaperWise Natural Machine Glazed was used to create the sustainable fast food snack and baguette bags. The products in the Naturesse series are biobased, compostable, and recyclable. By choosing PaperWise, plant waste (agricultural waste) that would normally be incinerated is given a new life in the form of food packaging. By joining forces, Pacovis AG and PaperWise are reducing dependence on fossil fuels and lowering CO2 emissions, all while helping to solve the plastic waste problem. Wise With Waste!

All of these developments and client cases do not mean that PaperWise is the only solution for litter; however, they do show that PaperWise’s compostable snack packaging is among the best environmentally friendly disposable packaging alternatives. If you want advice on composting or recycling PaperWise disposable to-go packaging, please contact us – we would be happy to help.