FAQs

There are different ways to do this, but we chose to work with an organisation called Ekos – a New Zealand-based, international non-profit enterprise that specialises in helping companies and individuals to measure their carbon footprints.

Ekos was chosen because of the nature of the projects they fund. Rather than just planting pine forests, they invest in indigenous reforestation and the protection of rainforest in the Pacific. That fits neatly with our own business ethos of reducing waste and caring for the environment. They don’t take ‘shortcuts’ and take a long term view, as do we.

Our business operations were analysed, including flights, freight, waste, petrol consumption and even how many nights were spent in hotels. Once we knew the extent of our carbon footprint, Ekos helped us to offset it by selling us carbon credits.

You can take your packages to a post office or, if you have a courier account, your courier will come and pick them up. 

Hand-writing addresses:

You can either write on the black comPOST Packs with a white or silver marker  - Posca brand seems to work well for many of our customers.

Using LabelsRolls through a thermal label printer:

We have a range of Compost-friendly labels suitable for printing on a Direct Thermal label printer, so now the whole package can be compostable.

Please check your printer’s size requirements carefully before ordering. All label rolls have a 40mm diameter core, except Dymo which have a 25mm core.

Most Courier labels are made of acrylic and won't biodegrade. Ours is Certified industrially compostable and the adhesive is carefully formulated to include a high percentage of renewable materials.

The Release liner is made of Glassine and silicone coated high grade paper.

Note: Our DYMO-compatible labels are not endorsed or approved by DYMO but have been developed and tested by us to work in DYMO LabelWriter 4XL printers

Sheets of Labels

We have A4 sheets of compost-friendly labels suitable for inkjet printers, so your whole package can be compostable.

Note the label sheets are not ‘bright white’, but have a ‘kraft’ tinge.

Yes, absolutely. Feel free to order a sample pack through our online store.

No, comPOST packs are designed to be as durable as their traditional plastic counterparts. You don’t need to double pack items that are being shipped internationally and they will not start to biodegrade if they get wet in the rain.

To reduce the carbon impact of shipping our products globally, we have set up a number of distribution centres around the world. The downside of this is that we aren’t able to stock all our products in all locations. That said, if you are interested in more than 5,000 units - we might be able to do a special shipment for you - please contact the team.

If you have ordered and realise you have the wrong size/product, you will need to return it within 10 working days. Please make another Order for the correct product and once we receive your return, we will refund you for the original PRODUCT COST. Please visit the Shipping & Returns page on our website for the address to send it to in your country.

For an estimate of how long it will take for your Better Packaging order to arrive and/or cost, please visit our Shipping page.

Your tracking information is stored alongside your order details in your account.

Then visit Orders and click on the relevant one for more info.

This site services China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. For other locations, please get in touch with hello@betterpackaging.com.

A large part of The Better Packaging Co.’s mission is to make sustainable options available and affordable to businesses of all sizes. We keep our margins as low we possibly can to encourage as many brands as possible to convert to more sustainable packaging, even for small purchases.

All the prices on our website are wholesale as everything we sell is B2B however, if you are looking at ordering 5,000 or more courier bags then we can offer you a discount on our website prices. Please contact us at hello@betterpackaging.com if this applies to you.

Our comPOST range is certified by the Australasian Bioplastics Association (ABA). The HOME COMPOSTABLE logo verifies that our packaging will breakdown under home composting conditions back into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass, and will be non-toxic to the environment. To carry this standard they must also biodegrade in a home compost within 180 days. Under commercial composting conditions, it would happen much faster, and as litter (e.g. under a tree) it would happen slower, but it will happen.  The Australian Standard is one of the most rigorous in the world and includes a worm toxicity test which means that our comPOST Packs are safe to be eaten by the little, pink wriggly guys.

Our AS5810 certification number is ABAP 20036. We are also proud members of the Australasian Bioplastics Association, the organisation responsible for setting and upholding these standards. 

NOTE: If you ever see packaging displaying the AS5810 symbol without an ABAP number it is not legitimate.

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by government and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.

B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. The values and aspirations of the B Corp community are embedded in the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.

THE B CORP DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE

We envision a global economy that uses business as a force for good.

This economy is comprised of a new type of corporation - the B Corporation -
Which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

As B Corporations and leaders of this emerging economy, we believe:

That we must be the change we seek in the world.That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered.That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

Our POLLAST!C ™ range is made from 100% recycled Ocean Bound Plastic pollution. We work with communities and collectors in some of world’s most polluted coastal regions to clean up the plastic from their beaches and from riverways. It’s this plastic that we recycle into POLLAST!C ™. Currently our collectors are located in Southeast Asia.  

We collect plastic pollution before it reaches the ocean, and the individual collectors receive a premium for the materials they collect. The premium is based on the weight of the plastic pollution collected and can be traded for rewards with long term benefits, like food, medicine, education, and clean energy. That plastic is then upcycled, turning it into a resin that we can make bags from. This gives the plastic another life and is what we use to create POLLAST!C ™ packaging. 

POLLAST!C ™ is a truly social solution to plastic pollution because the collection process gives employment to people in ‘frontline communities’ and improves the lives of the people and families that collect it. Our collectors are paid well and incentivized to trade the plastic pollution they collect for rewards to help them provide basic family necessities and long-term benefits. We are able to track where the plastic is collected and by whom so it’s completely traceable and the impact measurable. By cleaning up these environments, we also make them more pleasant and hygienic places to live. In these coastal communities, the ocean is often their lifeblood, so by helping to keep plastic out of it, we are contributing to a more sustainable future for them in that way too.  

The production of POLLAST!C ™  makes a positive contribution towards 14 of the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and we offset the carbon footprint of its production by 200%. 

Approximately 80% of the plastic in our oceans has ended up there via land, i.e. it was not dropped directly into the ocean but started on land and then ended up in a river or on a beach and then made its way into the sea.  

The term Ocean Bound Plastic refers to plastic collected from within 30 miles (50km) of the coastline. It was coined by Jenna Jambeck, a professor from the University of Georgia whose research found that plastic within this radius of the coast posed the most risk of ending up in our oceans. 

The plastic pollution that POLLAST!C™ is made from is certified to meet this criteria. By collecting it, we are cleaning up a serious environmental issue and preventing further damage. 

When the bags are super fresh the naturally occurring fructose in the them can cause a slight smell.  To reduce the smell take them out of the pack and spread them out to air, the smell will soon dissipate. 

Yes you can, but we would recommend buying one of our Sample packs first to double-check the performance of your particular labels.

We do extensive QA testing with the comPOST Packs and our own labels (comPOSTlabels) and can absolutely guarantee that they work, but are unable to test all label brands in the market.

Our labels have the added benefit of being compostable so your customers will be able to safely put the whole package into their compost or worm farm, rather than having to remove the label first.

Because each seal has a white plastic strip on it and if the second seal isn't used then we think it's wasteful and we'd rather avoid plastic wherever possible! We believe that the larger sizes are most likely to be reused as mailers and that's why they come with a second seal. The smaller sizes can always still be reused - they can be sealed with tape instead of a second seal.

No they don't.

As the thickness varies across pattern and size, refer to the individual product's description and size chart to find the thickness that's right for you.

Please be aware that the hygiene stickers are made from compostable adhesive, as a result it has a lower melting point.  Garments with stickers on them need to be kept away from heat and stored in cool places.  If the adhesive does transfer onto the garment for some reason, then it will wash off in warm-hot water.

We encourage people to reuse our packaging, but once your POLLAST!C ™packaging can no longer do its job, it can be recycled with soft plastics.

• Corn starch (from corn not fit for consumption)

• PLA (Polylactide, which is made from waste corn too and other plants)

• PBAT (Polybutyrate Adipate Terephthalate).

Well, that will depend on the conditions they’re in. In a ‘standard’ home compost, the compostable courier satchels have been certified (AS5810 -2010) to biodegrade within 180 days.

Under commercial composting conditions, it would happen much faster, and as litter (e.g. under a tree) it would happen slower, but it will happen.

The Australian Standard is one of the most rigorous in the world and includes a worm toxicity test which means that our comPOST Packs are safe to be eaten by worms.

This is very important. To ensure maximum longevity, the biodegradable mailers should be stored in a cool, dry place. If stored correctly, they will be tough enough to send parcels around the world for at least 9 months, if not, their strength will be compromised.

The backing of the labels is unfortunately not able to be composted or recycled. We have a take back scheme with our supplier and we would love for you to use one of our bags to fill up with the backing, send it to us and we can take care of the rest! Our supplier is able to repurpose the backing and reuse it. If you and your team would like to start doing this please email our team at hello@betterpackaging.com

We are in the process of getting our paper bubble mailers certified HOME compostable, at this stage though they are only industrially compostable. To be certified home compostable the mailers have to break down within 180 days.  The bubble mailers can go into a home compost as they are but they might not breakdown within the “home compostable” time frame. If you would like to speed up the process you could break the layers apart to reduce the thickness and speed up the process.

In a landfill, it is unlikely that these bags will break down, as per the foodscraps people throw in the rubbish if they are not composting. In fact most landfills are anaerobic, meaning oxygen doesn’t circulate through them and nothing can degrade. They have found apple cores intact after 20 years in a landfill.

No, not at this stage. They can be recycled with soft plastics.