Biodegradable Food Packaging - What's it mean?

Imagine eating a delicious snack without having the guilty conscience that the packaging that it comes in will last more than 500 years in landfill, probably without even decomposing. Well, look no further because this gummy bear packaging is fully biodegradable and in only 2-6 weeks! Since the start, we were focused on a 100% compostable packaging solution. In order to stop the use of non-renewable materials, halt the greenhouse gas emissions that come from landfills, and lastly improve and re-enrich our soils. 

Our packaging is composed of kraft bags! The kraft bag meets is ASTM Standard which is the “Standard Guide for Exposing and Testing 

Plastics that Degrade in the Environment by a Combination of Oxidation and Biodegradation”. The packaging and kraft bag are fully sustainable and that was the main objective when selecting which material to use for our gummies. While we found the perfect bag, it was a hard process to find food packaging that could fulfill both the sustainability of the package, without compromising the freshness of the product. After more than a year of developing this, we decided to make sustainable bags using: Kraft Paper, Biodegradable MOPP and Compostable PLA (from Sugar Cane). This resulted in a bag which is Oxo-biodegradable. What this means is that it will degrade in landfill - and what’s even better than that? The degradation process will not release any methane into the atmosphere. 

Additionally, the bags have several compostable certifications. The certifications are the following: industrial compostable, landfill biodegradation AND home compost. Which is exceptional because you have several options such as: throwing it in the trash can, composting industrially (if you have access to that option), and even in your own home. How great is that? You can easily compost it in your own backyard, although it can take 2 + years, depending on the environmental conditions. Industrial composting is preferred, but you still have other options, which is uncommon for most food packaging nowadays. However, keep in mind that the bags are not marine biodegradable. 

There are numerous benefits to sustainable food packaging. It is no longer a thing of the future, but of our present. Sustainable packaging reduces the carbon footprint of the companies and of the consumers who buy the product. The disposal of the product will not cause any harm to the environment. The materials used during production are non-toxic throughout the life-cycle of the product, making the final package free of allergens and toxins. At last, making the end product more accessible to customers who have these types of allergies. Also, the production of the packaging is manufactured using clean production technologies and renewable energy, which is very beneficial to the environment.

 Lastly, with all that being said, we are always looking to provide the best options for the consumers. The research to provide quality food packaging for these gummy bears was extremely thorough in order to reach our objective. Guaranteeing an excellent alternative of not only a delicious snack, but of bringing it in an eco-friendly, conscious packaging that does not harm the individual nor the environment.