Sustainability
How to Read an Environmental Packaging Claim
Most environmental packaging claims are made loosely, some are regulated, and a few are simply wrong. This is how to tell which you are being sold — including by us.
Recyclable is a claim about a system, not a material
Paperboard is recyclable in principle. Whether a specific pack is recovered depends on what has been bonded to it, and on what the local facility accepts — which is set by municipality in the US and Canada and by council in the UK and Australia.
A laminated, windowed box is technically made of recyclable materials and practically is not recovered, because nobody separates the film from the board. A supplier describing that pack as recyclable is not lying about the material and is being unhelpful about the outcome.
What the common terms mean
| Claim | What it actually means | Can a printer substantiate it? |
|---|---|---|
| Recyclable | The material can be recovered where facilities accept it | Partly — depends on the finishing and the location |
| Recycled content | A stated proportion of the board is recovered fiber | Yes, from the mill specification |
| Biodegradable | Breaks down biologically, with no timescale implied | Rarely meaningful without a standard attached |
| Compostable | Meets a certified standard with test criteria | Only with a certified material specified |
| FSC or PEFC certified | Chain of custody from forest to print | Only with chain-of-custody certification covering the order |
| Sustainably sourced | No defined meaning without a standard behind it | No, not on its own |
Questions worth asking a supplier
- Is there a laminate on this box, and what does it do to recyclability?
- Is the window film, or an open aperture?
- What is the recycled content of the board, as a percentage?
- Does your chain-of-custody certification cover my specific order?
- What exactly are you willing to put in writing about this specification?
What we will and will not print
We will print factual descriptions of the specification we actually supplied: "recycled paperboard", "unlaminated", "please recycle with paper". Those describe what the pack is.
We will not print FSC or PEFC marks without chain of custody covering your order, and we will not print "compostable", "biodegradable" or a certification logo you do not hold. Those claims are regulated in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, and a supplier who prints them without asking has created a problem for your brand rather than solved one.
The changes that genuinely improve recoverability
- Removing the laminate — the single largest improvement available
- Replacing a film window with an open die-cut aperture
- Specifying recycled-content board, with the percentage stated
- Using paper-based closures instead of plastic tape
- Debossing instead of foiling, since foil is a plastic-backed layer
Trade-offs, stated honestly
A paper-only specification gives up scuff resistance, any moisture barrier, and some color saturation. Those are real costs, and a supplier who presents the environmental option as free is not being straight with you.
Whether the trade is worth making is a decision about your product and your customers, not a decision about materials. What is available and what it can support is set out on our paper-only specification page.
Testing a claim in four questions
Apply these to anything a supplier tells you, including anything we tell you.
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Is it about the material or the outcome?
"Made from recyclable material" and "will be recycled" are different statements, and only one of them survives a laminate.
-
Is there a standard behind it?
Compostable and certified sustainable both have test criteria. Biodegradable and eco-friendly do not.
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Does it cover this specification?
A mill certification is not the same as a chain of custody that reaches your order.
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Would you put it in writing?
Ask the supplier to state it on the quotation. The answer to that question is usually the most informative part of the conversation.
Questions this raises
Is a kraft box automatically eco-friendly?
No. Kraft is unbleached, which is a real difference, but a kraft box with a gloss laminate and a PET window is no easier to recycle than a coated one. The finishing decides recoverability.
Can I say my box is biodegradable?
It is a claim with no timescale attached and limited meaning without a standard behind it. In several markets it attracts regulatory attention precisely because it is used loosely.
What is the difference between recyclable and recycled?
Recycled content describes what the board is made from and can be stated from the mill specification. Recyclable describes what can happen to it afterward, and depends on the finishing and the local facility.
Can you supply FSC-certified packaging?
Certified stock can be sourced, but printing the mark requires chain-of-custody certification covering the route to your order. Ask at quote stage and we will answer plainly.