Compostable Packaging

Certified compostable packaging is built on a PLA and PBAT laminate and tested to EN 13432 rather than described as eco. We run it across spouted, flat bottom, stand up and side gusset formats, with zippers and degassing valves where the product needs them. The barrier is lower than foil, which is ample for many dry goods and short-dated products and not for a long-dated fatty one, so we test it against your date rather than assume it and issue the certificate for the structure quoted.

In this range59 products

Minimum orderFrom 1,000 pieces

SamplesStock samples free

Lead time15-25 days after approval

About compostable packaging

Certified to EN 13432, Not Described as Eco

Compostable packaging is a laminate of PLA and PBAT that breaks down completely in a composting environment, leaving no plastic fragments behind. The word only means something with a certificate against it, which is why everything in this range is built to EN 13432 and can be supplied with OK compost INDUSTRIAL or OK compost HOME marks and the certificate to match.

Home Compostable and Industrial Compostable Are Not the Same

Industrial certification assumes a commercial facility: sustained heat, controlled humidity, managed turning. Home certification assumes a garden heap that never gets that hot, so it is a harder standard and a narrower set of structures. If your market prints a home compostable claim, say so before we specify, because it changes the laminate rather than just the logo on the back panel.

What It Costs You, Stated Plainly

Shelf life. A compostable laminate has a lower barrier than foil. Test against your real product rather than assuming; for many dry goods it is ample, for high-fat or long-dated products it is not.
Heat. The sealing window is narrower. On your own filling line that may mean a slower speed or a machine setting change.
Cost. Meaningfully more per pack than PET/PE, and that gap does not close at volume the way tooling costs do.
Disposal reality. A certified pack still needs a composting stream to reach. Where your customers have none, a recyclable mono-material may do more good.

What We Can and Cannot Make Compostable

Compostable structures run as spout pouches, coffee bags with valves, stand up pouches, side gusset bags and flat sachets, with compostable zippers and valves where those are needed. What cannot be made compostable is anything with an aluminium layer — a foil pouch is not compostable and never will be, whatever it is called. If you have been offered one described that way, ask for the certificate number.

Compostable Specification

Structure	PLA / PBAT laminate
Certification	EN 13432; OK compost HOME or INDUSTRIAL
Also available	Compostable kraft laminate
Closures	Compostable zipper and degassing valve
Shelf life	Shorter than foil — test against your product
Not available as	Any structure containing aluminium foil
Minimum order	1,000 pieces per artwork

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Where Compostable Packaging Sits in the Range

The numbers are how many packs in this range are also in that one, counted from the catalogue rather than chosen by hand.

The Shapes This Range Is Made In

What This Range Is Used For

Frequently asked

Specifying Compostable Packaging: The Questions That Decide It

What does EN 13432 actually certify?

That the pack disintegrates and biodegrades within set times, contains no heavy metals above limits, and leaves compost that plants grow in. All four tests, on the finished laminate rather than on one layer of it.

Home compostable or industrial — which do I need?

Industrial assumes a commercial facility with sustained heat. Home assumes a garden heap that never gets that hot, so it is the harder standard and a narrower set of structures. Your market decides, and it changes the laminate.

How much shelf life do I give up?

Against foil, a good deal. Against clear PET/PE, less than most people expect. There is no single figure — it depends on your product, so we test rather than quote a number that will not hold.

Can a compostable pouch have a zipper and a valve?

Yes. Compostable zippers and degassing valves exist and we fit them. Specify them at the quote stage: a conventional zipper on a compostable pouch invalidates the certification for the whole pack.

Will it run on our filling line?

Usually, with a wider look at the sealing window. Compostable film seals in a narrower temperature band and can need a slower line speed. Send the machine make and we will say what to expect.

Is compostable the same as biodegradable?

No, and the difference matters. Biodegradable has no agreed timeframe or end state; compostable is defined and tested. We only use the word where there is a certificate behind it.

Can you supply the certificate?

Yes, with the certificate number for the structure you buy. Ask for it — a supplier who cannot produce one is describing a material, not certifying it.

How should the pack be labelled?

With the certification mark you are entitled to use, the scheme number, and disposal wording your market allows. Rules differ by country and we will flag anything that will not pass where you sell.

Do the inks and adhesives compost as well?

They have to, or the pack fails the test. The certification covers the finished laminate including ink and adhesive, which is why we do not mix a certified film with an uncertified ink.

How long can I store empty compostable pouches?

Around twelve months in a cool dry store. The material is designed to break down, so it does not sit in a warehouse indefinitely the way conventional film does. Order to your run rate.