What does your tagline 'it doesn't cost the earth' mean?
Our products do not cost the earth in the way that bio-based plastics have the unique advantage over conventional plastics to reduce the dependency on limited fossil resources and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They can also be turned back into nutritious compost where facilities exist – supporting a circular economy where there is no waste. BioPak strives to minimise any negative impacts our business has on the environment.
Why are the materials that BioPak uses more sustainable?
Ingeo™ bioplastic: Using Ingeo™ reduces raw materialCO2 emissions by 80% compared to regular plastic resin.
Paper and wood: Sustainably sourced from managed plantations and made from FSC™ certified sources wherever possible.
Sugarcane pulp: By-product of the sugar refining industry, which is both rapidly renewable and sustainably sourced.
Do you use palm oil or any palm derivatives in any of your products?
No, we do not use any palm oil or palm derivatives in any of our products.
Why is BioPak still using conventional plastic for some products?
Traditional plastics, which are made from fossil fuels, are a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. That is why we focus on natural, renewable, and fully compostable materials for our packaging. We are a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Economy commitment, the NZ Plastic Packaging Declaration, and an active member of the APCO working groups dedicated to finding sustainable solutions for the packaging industry. We have publicly pledged to remove plastic from our range by 2025.
We are working relentlessly on phasing out any remaining plastics in our portfolio and adopting new materials as soon as they are commercially viable for our customers.
If consumers are choosing to pay more to reduce their environmental impact then it’s our job – as manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers – to honour that. We must all ensure our products live up to the environmental claims and offer a real environmental benefit – not just lip service that makes consumers feel good whilst inadvertently continuing to pollute the environment.
Environmental claims around biodegradability are often used in ways that are confusing or misleading with certification often omitted and time frames to decompose undefined, so it is important to back up any claims with third-party certification.
At BioPak, we only make real-world environmental and sustainability claims that can be independently verified through a robust and rigorous scientific process. We go to great lengths to ensure our packaging products align with the principles of a circular economy, and our compostable products are certified to Australian and international standards.
What does it mean to be certified industrially compostable?
Most BioPak products are certified industrially compostable to the European EN13432 compost standard. EN13432 requires that the product disintegrates after 12-weeks in industrial compost conditions and completely biodegrades after six months. That means that 90 per cent or more of the material will have been converted to CO2 and the remaining share is converted into water and biomass.
What's the difference between EU and AU compostable certifications?
The Australia compostability certification is the same as European Union (EU) with the addition of an earthworm eco-toxicity test.
What is ISO 14000 / Environmental Safety Certification?
ISO 14000 is a series of environmental management standards developed and published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for organizations. The ISO 14000 standards provide a guideline or framework for organizations that need to systematize and improve their environmental management efforts.
What is the ISO 22000 / HACAP / Food Safety Certification?
ISO 22000 is a food safety management system that can be applied to any organisation in the food chain, farm to fork. ISO 22000 standards require that business have a food safety management system in place.
What is the ISO 9001 / Quality Management Certification?
The ISO 9000 quality management system standards are designed to help organisations ensure that they meet statutory and regulatory requirements related to a product or service.
What is FSC™️ (Forest Stewardship Council™️) Certification?
With so many packaging products made from paper, it’s important to ensure our forests are not irreparably damaged in the creation of paper-based packaging. The Forest Stewardship Council™ (FSC™) is an international non-profit that acts to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. BioPak is FSC certified to ensure the paper-based packaging we create is produced in a sustainable manner, with minimal environmental impact.
