<p>#1 Curbside Recyclable or Home Compostable</p>

#1 Curbside Recyclable or Home Compostable

  • Packaging should be easy to dispose of responsibly. We prioritize materials that are accepted in curbside recycling systems – or, when that’s not possible, formats that are home-compostable, not just industrially compostable.
  • Recycling beats composting: materials should be kept in circulation at their highest and best use. If an item is both recyclable and compostable, it is preferred for it be recycled, since recycling preserves the material at a higher quality and with higher functionality.
  • For example, paper can often be both recycled and composted. It is better for paper to get to turn into paper again, rather than be "downcycled" into soil where it can't fulfill its original purpose as paper again.
  • While not all municipalities accept the same recyclables, we look for materials that are widely accepted by most curbside programs.
  • Packaging that can’t be made from recyclable materials should be compostable, and preferably home compostable over industrially compostable to ensure as many people can compost the item as possible.
#2 Made From Renewable Resources #2 Made From Renewable Resources

#2 Made From Renewable Resources

  • Renewable materials are king. Renewable resources are those that naturally replenish themselves in a human time scale. Plant- and tree-based materials are renewable since they regrow, while fossil fuels are not renewable since they do not replenish themselves in a human time scale.
  • We prioritize fiber-based materials and push our suppliers to source wood from responsibly managed forests.
  • We must balance our use of other renewable materials, like corn and sugarcane grown for bioplastics, with other sustainability priorities, like efficient and ethical land use. We prioritize plant-based material that grows with minimal resources.
#3 Earth-safe #3 Earth-safe

#3 Earth-safe

  • While our goal is for all packaging to see a second life through recycling or composting, some consumer packaging winds up in the environment. If packaging does end up in nature, it should be ecologically benign, causing no toxicity, no microplastics, and no long-term harm.
  • This means that we prioritize materials that biodegrade in a matter of months - not decades or centuries - and that do not leave behind toxic chemicals or microplastics.
  • When it makes sense to do so, we will use reputable certifications like BPI, TUV Austria, or other ASTM standards to increase the likelihood of biodegradability. Sometimes, it does not make sense to use the timelines associated with biodegradability in these certifications - instead, our goal is simply to promote products that will biodegrade in about six months if they do find themselves in the environment.
  • We may not approve certain bioplastics if we cannot verify that the way that they’re sourced is not harmful to wildlife or ecosystems.