The landscapes of our planet are truly majestic but ever-changing. A beauty threatened and shaped by severe weather events: floods, droughts, and wildfires. It’s on us to work towards sustainability to preserve this planet. And one of these sustainability efforts includes supporting eco-conscious businesses and purchasing products with compostable packaging.
Why? Because we as consumers have a responsibility, as much as we have a choice. And Planet Earth needs us.
After all, breathtaking views make up this planet. From ancient canyons to steep mountains standing glorious against the deep blue sky, nature fuels our spirits and provides us with peace.
But with rising global temperatures and the impacts of climate change in full effect, life on Earth is changing. Requiring us to change some of our habits as well.
It’s time to make earth-friendly choices and learn to be conscious of our surroundings. And it’s time to put a halt to the destruction of nature and plastic pollution. So, what can you do?
Plastics are clearly adding to an ever-growing pollution problem, keeping landfills overflowing with unnecessary trash. We can do better.
Here’s everything you need to know about compostable packaging and why you should support companies that care. But first things first.
What is Composting?
For many people composting is merely an abstract word or some part of a “hippie lifestyle” they don’t fully understand. But the truth is, composting is a very natural and sustainable approach to getting rid of your organic waste.
Don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what composting is — there’s always time to learn and adopt sustainable living practices.
Composting is a natural process by which organic materials, such as food scraps can be broken down under aerobic conditions (requiring oxygen).¹
There are a few other factors, such as temperature and moisture that can play into the process as microorganisms feed on the compost. These organisms also require carbon and nitrogen for their growth.¹
The idea of composting emerged as an alternative to adding to countless piles of garbage accumulating in landfills. Organic waste, such as spoiled food and yard waste, like raked-up leaves can be left composting naturally at your own home — reducing the massive amount of trash that would otherwise end up in landfills.
Compostable Packaging 101: Standards & Ingredients
In an attempt to protect and preserve our beautiful planet, eco-conscious retailers are stepping up and taking charge. For most of us, our sustainability journey is still blurry and unclear, after all. How can we help? What can we do? Compostable packaging is one step in the right direction.
Forward-thinking and earth-friendly businesses are leading the way toward a more resourceful future. If you’re ready to follow in their footsteps, we can divert HUGE amounts of plastics from landfills and make a difference — together.
Here’s everything you need to know about compostable packaging:
What is Compostable Packaging Made of?
Compostable packaging can be made out of an array of organic materials, the key being that they are, in fact, organic. Popular types of packaging include paper and innovative bioplastics that have specifically been developed to break down naturally.
At Herbaland, our plant-based pouches are made out of a variety of wood pulp, cornstarch, cassava, and even sugarcane and beets. On top of that, all these organic ingredients have been sourced sustainably to allow as eco-friendly of an approach as possible.
Are There Certifications for Reliable Compostable Packaging?
Yes, many retailers who are serious about making a difference and steering their customers toward sustainable practices will try to obtain certification for their compostable packaging.
Foremost, these certifications include the North American BPI certification for compostable plastics — the golden standard in the industry for sustainability pioneers.
Other certifications encompass the OK compost HOME certification that acknowledges that the product does not require an industrial composting facility, but will, in fact, compost at home under lower temperatures.
How Do You Dispose of Your Compostable Packaging?
You love to advocate for the environment and support companies that offer compostable packaging but where do you put the packaging when you’re done with its content?
Whether you choose an industrial composting facility or your own composting or Bokashi bin, don’t forget to cut up your packaging, so it’s easier to biodegrade. Alternatively, you can add it to your composting pile in your garden or worm farm (where worms are used to break down the material).
How Does Compostable Packaging Benefit Our Planet?
There are countless benefits to compostable packaging: for companies, for you, the consumer, and for our planet. Besides, most of us choose to purchase from ethical brands that are aware of social and environmental challenges and are willing to help.
We want to celebrate companies whose core values align with our own. And sure enough, we’re all beginning to transition to a more resourceful way of life, benefitting our environment.
So, how does compostable packaging fit in the picture?
Reduce Plastic Pollution
As of 2019, humanity has managed to produce an unsettling 460 tons of plastic in that one year, increasing 230-fold in a mere 70 years.² How much more will our planet be able to take?
Plastic pollution has become a major problem, threatening our ecosystems and wreaking havoc on our oceans, with plastics steadily accumulating in landfills. Much of the plastics that are supposed to be recycled, also end up in landfills — in 2018, only 8.7% of overall plastics wound up being recycled.³
The clock is ticking and it’s now half past 12 — time to think outside of the box and make compostable packaging an everyday standard.
Reduce the Ever-Growing Amount of Microplastics
It’s funny how there are things we didn’t even know would be a problem, yet they enter the stage with a loud BOOM — microplastics being one of them. And at this point, microplastics are almost everywhere: in our oceans, our environment, our homes, and our bodies.
Microplastics are much smaller pieces of plastic waste that float through our environment as debris — remnants of plastic waste that are too small to trap and dispose of adequately.
The continuously increasing amount of microplastics in our natural habitat, however, poses concerns and health risks that we may not be ready to tackle yet.
Why Are Microplastics Bad Again?
With plastic bottles lingering in landfills unable to biodegrade, microplastics can be found everywhere. There are microplastics in our oceans, in the air we breathe, in the water we drink, and even in the foods we eat.⁴
While there needs to be more research done on the long-term implications of microplastics, there are concerns for our health and safety. This is particularly alarming as we regularly ingest microplastics and it begins to accumulate in our gastrointestinal system.
For the first time in history, scientists even found microplastics in human breastmilk, indicating concerns about potentially toxic effects this may have on infants.⁵
With everything we know and don’t know about plastics and microplastics, both our health and that of our planet are at risk. But why take that risk if there’s a simple and effective alternative?
Herbaland’s Compostable Packaging & Sustainability Journey
At Herbaland, our efforts have been increasingly shifting towards sustainable packaging and environmentally friendly practices. That’s why we have officially ditched all plastics and replaced them with sustainably sourced 100% compostable packaging.
We’re proud to say that we can now divert over 60,000 plastic bottles from ending up in landfills every year and help reduce the impact of our ever-growing plastic pollution problem.
But we need you to help us. Yes, YOU.
Saving the planet requires teamwork, so let’s join forces and preserve Planet Earth — together.
Want to learn more about Herbaland’s compostable packaging and sustainability efforts? Check out the impact we’re able to make with your help. Compostable packaging for the win!
References:
- Composting at home. Accessed February 13, 2023.
https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home
- FAQs on Plastics. Accessed February 13, 2023.
https://ourworldindata.org/faq-on-plastics#how-much-plastic-and-waste-do-we-produce
- Plastics: Material-Specific Date. Accessed February 13, 2023.
- Tracking Global Marine Microplastics. Accessed February 13, 2023.
Ragusa, A. et al. (2022). Raman Microspectroscopy Detection and Characterisation of Microplastics in Human Breastmilk. MDPI, https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/13/2700. Accessed 13 February 2023.