When we launched our new range of products last year, we decided to take the opportunity to redesign and minimise the amount of packaging that is used on our products. So our newest products are packed into paper bags (like this) rather than in plastic film inside a cardboard box, (like this). This has reduced the weight of packaging used per pack by almost 75% which is great news as it means that we are using less resources and there is just less packaging to potentially end up in our customers bins.

The only problem with this is that the bags are lined with a plastic film meaning that it can only be recycled if the film is removed first. To solve this problem, I've been investigating whether we can somehow make the bags biodegradable or compostable. Until recently I hadn't had much luck because most of the biodegradable film on the market was made from corn starch from a genetically modified source. Our products are organic, so this is definitely not an option for us! But I've recently been in touch with a couple of companies who may be able to make the film from biodegradable orientated polypropylene (OPP). This material is made of the same stuff as ordinary OPP but it has an additive in it which helps to break down the material quickly in the presence of light, heat and moisture. The idea is that they won't degrade when they are just sitting on a shelf, but will degrade on a compost heap or under landfill conditions. The manufacturers have said that trials of paper bags lined with this material have been successful so far, so it may be that we will be able to switch to these bags in the future. We are a step closer to biodegradable bags...