Sustainability
Sustainable Poly Mailers
Three words get used interchangeably in packaging and they mean three different things. One is about what the film was made from. One is about a specific disposal process. One is a general property with no conditions attached.
Choosing between them is not a preference. It decides what you will be able to say to customers, what documentation you will need to hold, and whether the environmental benefit actually happens or just gets printed on a bag.
This page compares the three. Each has its own page with the detail, and we publish no percentages, certifications or timescales anywhere, because none were supplied to us.
Not sure which of these to order?
Describe what you ship and we will point you at the right one, then quote it. A recommendation costs nothing.
Which one fits
Recycled Poly Mailers
Easiest to evidence. Does not depend on what your customer can access.
Read the detail
Compostable Poly Mailers
Strongest story, hardest execution — needs a disposal route to exist.
Read the detailBiodegradable Poly Mailers
The least defined term, and the one carrying the most claim risk.
Read the detailWhat each option is actually promising
Read the middle column first. It is the question the term answers, and it is where most confusion starts.
| Route | Question it answers | Depends on | Ease of evidencing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled content | What was the film made from | Feedstock availability at production | Straightforward — a declaration or certificate |
| Compostable | Where can it go after use | A composting process your customer can reach | Possible, but the route must also exist |
| Biodegradable | Will it break down, eventually | Conditions that are rarely specified | Difficult without named conditions and a timeframe |
If you need something you can defend to a customer or a regulator this quarter, recycled content is the practical starting point. The other two are worth pursuing when the supporting documentation and the infrastructure both exist.
Changes that do not depend on a material claim
These reduce environmental impact measurably and need no certification to defend.
Right-size your mailers
Shipping less air means less film per parcel and fewer parcels crossing into higher weight bands.
Reduce components per parcel
Every insert, void filler and second bag is material. Removing one is a measurable reduction.
Specify a returns strip
A resealable bag removes an entire second piece of packaging from every return.
Print disposal wording that is true where your customers live
An accurate instruction gets followed. A generic symbol usually does not.
Questions about sustainable poly mailers
Which sustainable mailer option should I choose?
Start from what you can evidence and what your customers can access. Recycled content is the easiest to substantiate and does not depend on infrastructure you do not control. Compostable is stronger as a story but only delivers an outcome where the disposal route genuinely exists.
Why do you not publish recycled percentages or certifications?
Because none were supplied to us, and a figure on a web page is not a figure we could stand behind for your specific order. We confirm what the film available for your order can support, in writing, with the documentation behind it.
Are poly mailers recyclable?
Flexible film is generally not accepted in household kerbside collections across the markets we serve, and is instead collected at store drop-off points where those exist. Availability varies by area, so check what applies where your customers live before printing any instruction.
Find out what can be evidenced
Tell us what you need to be able to claim and which markets you sell into. We will come back with what the available film supports.