Packaging that returns to the soil: our full material audit.

When a product arrives at our warehouse for consideration, the first thing we assess is the package. Not the marketing on it — the material itself. We ask one question: can this return to the earth?

The answer determines everything.

What we accept without conditions: Glass. Infinitely recyclable, chemically inert, endlessly reusable. Kraft paper certified to FSC standards. Unbleached cotton fabric. Compostable bio-film certified to EN 13432 — the European industrial compostability standard. Cork. Ceramic. Beeswax-coated cloth. Natural rope and twine.

What we accept with conditions: Post-consumer recycled plastic, verified at minimum 80% PCR content. We accept this category only where no plant-based or mineral alternative exists for the function required. Currently, this applies to one product in our catalogue: the lid seal on a fermented liquid amendment, where compostable bio-film does not provide adequate moisture barrier.

What we reject unconditionally: Virgin plastic in any form. Multi-layer laminate packaging — the shiny pouches ubiquitous in the nutrients industry — because it cannot be recycled or composted. Styrofoam. Metallic films that look recyclable but are not. Packaging printed with UV-cured inks containing photoinitiators.

The consequence: we have declined to stock products that we considered excellent on merit, because the packaging failed this standard. It has cost us margin. It has occasionally frustrated customers who wanted specific products. We have not made an exception.

We review our packaging decisions quarterly and publish any changes. If we adopt a new material or reject one we previously accepted, we explain why.