Fruit wrapped in tree-based netting? Yup, we’ve got that. Oh, and it’s organic, biodegradable, and home compostable. Say hello to our new bio bags!

The first of its kind in the United States, our bio bags are made 100% from beech wood pulp that is a by-product of the forest industry. What exactly does that mean? Well, when trees in certified sustainable beech wood forests grow to a certain height, some are thinned out to give the remaining trees space and light to grow. The wood is then chipped and broken down further into pulp, spun into a string-like material, then knitted together into a net tube, ready for use. These fibers from which the netting is formed are certified as compostable and biodegradable within weeks under industrial, home, soil, and marine conditions. That’s right, you can toss the netting (minus the tag – we’ll get to that in a moment) right into your home compost and it will turn into organic matter within weeks – pretty neat, don’t you think?

While our bio bags are mainly plastic-free, there is a small percentage of plastic present (only 1% of the plastic compared to the traditional plastic-mesh netting bag with film wrap around). The only plastic found on our bio bags is on the coating on the tag affixed to the netting.  But don’t worry! We are actively working on an organic solution for this also – so stay tuned!

Moving away from plastics is important but we also understand the importance of reducing our carbon footprint. After all, what good is it if we are using a sustainable, plastic-free material when it increases our carbon footprint – right? Well, according to the Higg Materials Sustainability Index (MSI), the fiber production for these nets results in 60 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil-based PE granulate production for standard plastic nets. In other words, not only are we eliminating the use of plastics but we are also significantly reducing our carbon footprint! Talk about a win-win!

So, keep your eyes open the next time you go shopping and let’s snack for a more sustainable future!