Trying to be as sustainable as possible can be challenging. As a brand, sustainability is one of our main goals, and we remain dedicated to making changes and updates as better and better options become available. 

Some of you may remember our very first mailers: standard, conventional bubble wrap envelopes with an environmental footprint we weren’t proud of.

From there, we switched to a recycled kraft paper mailer padded with recycled newspaper shred. However, as many can attest, that shred often became confetti when the package was opened. While it was a more earth-friendly solution, it was still not ideal. 

Introducing Our Best Mailer Yet…

Recently, we transitioned to a new kind of mailer. While this one may look and feel like plastic—it’s completely compostable! 

Our new mailer is mostly made from PLA (corn starch) and PBAT (a compostable ingredient that bonds the renewable ingredients together).

In a compostable environment, the inside of these mailers will completely break down within 90 to 120 days. The outer layer may take 18+ months to completely break down due to the variability of moisture and heat in home composting environments. 

You can also bring the cut-up pieces to your local municipal or grassroots composting site.

The mailers are safe for worms for those who vermicompost. 

Even if composting is unavailable to you, the mailer will break down in a landfill in about two years. In contrast, traditional plastic can take 400 years or more to break down, releasing methane gas into the atmosphere in the process. 

Here are some tips for home composting…

• Remove all labels.
• Cut the mailer into smaller pieces and place in your compost bin as your “brown” materials. 
• The mailer will break down in 90 to 120 days in a home-compost environment—sometimes sooner. 
• Alternatively, you can add it to your municipal compost bin or send it to a composting facility.

Personally, we love the results of composting at home. The process turns organic food waste and other compostable materials into nutrients for our gardens. Composting results in delicious food and plants that also attract and feed pollinators. 

Thanks for helping us do our part! If you’d like to share photos of your garden, please drop them in the comments below.