What recycles, what composts, what does neither
Kraft is a good material with real limits. This page is the specification-level answer rather than a badge.
Uncoated and clay-coated kraft packaging recycles in the standard kerbside paper stream and composts at home. PLA-laminated food board is commercially compostable but not recyclable. Laminated cartons and multi-layer foil pouches are neither. The finish you choose, not the material name, decides the outcome.
Disposal by specification
Find your finish, read across. Recycling acceptance varies between municipalities, so treat kerbside entries as widely-but-not-universally accepted.
| Specification | Recycling | Composting | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uncoated kraft, soy ink | Kerbside paper | Home and commercial | The cleanest end-of-life available. Nothing to separate. |
| Clay-coated kraft | Kerbside paper | Commercial | Mineral coating does not interfere with repulping. |
| Water-based dispersion barrier | Kerbside paper in most streams | Commercial | Check locally. Acceptance varies by facility. |
| PLA-laminated food board | No | Commercial only | Must not enter paper recycling. Not home compostable. |
| Gloss or matte laminated carton | No | No | Plastic film bonded to fibre. Choose varnish instead where you can. |
| Kraft / PET / foil pouch | No | No | Multi-layer laminate. Best barrier, worst end-of-life. |
| Mono-material PE pouch | Store drop-off film | No | Not kerbside. Needs a supermarket film collection point. |
| Certified compostable pouch | No | Commercial | Gives up shelf life against foil. Worth it for tea, marginal for coffee. |
What we do by default
Soy-based inks as standard
Not an upgrade and not a line item. Water-based varnishes rather than UV cure wherever the finish allows it.
No PFAS on food lines
Several US states now restrict intentionally added PFAS in food packaging. We removed the question by not running PFAS barriers at all.
FSC board on request
Available and priced per order, because chain-of-custody documentation has a real cost. We confirm the certificate number for your run rather than publishing a general claim.
Right-sizing as a default
We check carton dimensions against pallet patterns before production. Less air shipped is the largest carbon reduction available on most orders, and it lowers your freight bill.
On greenwashing
The word sustainable does almost no work on a packaging website. A box can be recyclable and still be twice the size it needs to be. A pouch can be compostable and still go to landfill because no facility nearby accepts it.
We would rather give you the disposal route for your exact specification, the weight of each component, and an honest note on where local acceptance is patchy. That is the information you need to make a claim on your own packaging without overstating it.
Sustainability questions
Is all kraft packaging recyclable?
No, and anyone saying otherwise is selling. Uncoated, clay-coated and most dispersion-coated kraft recycles in the standard paper stream. Laminated cartons, PLA-laminated food board and multi-layer pouches do not. The disposal table on this page gives it specification by specification.
What is the difference between compostable and home compostable?
Commercially compostable material needs the sustained temperature of an industrial facility to break down. Home compostable breaks down in a garden bin. PLA is the common case where the distinction matters: it is commercially compostable and will not break down at home.
Is recycled content better than recyclable?
They are different levers. Recycled content reduces virgin fibre demand now. Recyclability determines what happens after use. Food-contact work often requires virgin fibre, so those two goals genuinely conflict in that category, and we will say which one your spec is optimising for.
Can you help with packaging compliance reporting?
We supply the material specification, weight and barrier composition per component, which is what extended producer responsibility reporting needs. We do not file it for you.
Ask what your spec actually does
Send your format and finish. We will tell you the disposal route and where the claim you want to make would be overstating it.