Eco Friendly Market

Recycled Content Bags | Biodegradable Bags | Water Based Inks Printing
Gauge Reduction/Correct Sizing | Reusable Totes | Buying Environmentally Friendly

Don’t see what you are looking for? We only list the most common capabilities and markets we service. We have the ability to do much, much more in terms of markets served and package constructions. Please contact us with your application or question for immediate assistance.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has come out with new guides (www.ftc.gov/opa/2012/10/greenguides.shtm) in regards to environmental claims. Claims of being "green", "recyclable", natural", "organic", biodegradable", and the like are all potentially deceptive if not qualified. The guides are meant to help avoid making claims that are unfair or deceptive to the consumer. We encourage you to read the green guides as written if you are pursuing environmental claims as they relate to your product or package. We can assist you in language and potential qualifiers to use for packaging your product if desired. Please contact us for more information as it relates to a specific need.

Biodegradable Bags Most often uses the additive from ECM biofilms to make the bag biodegradable, www.ecmbiofilms.com for complete information on the resin Certificate of biodegradability based on certain ASTM standards available upon request Biodegradable material looks, feels and performs like regular polyethylene Will not break down until exposed to nature's natural elements Low minimums available in clear or white material All custom options available including ziplocks and printing up to 6 colors on 2 sides Frequently asked questions checklist available on the biodegradable material

Water Based Inks Printing We can offer printing using water based inks upon request that do not emit VOC’s (Volatile Organic Chemicals) into the air during production. Solvent based inks do emit chemicals.

Reusable Totes Reusable totes available and are made of non-woven polypropylene material Look, feel, strength and quality of cloth Stitched seams in sides and bottom gussets Tear resistant and water repellent Multiple colors and sizes available in plain and prints.

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Gauge Reduction/Correct Sizing

• The best way to create a more eco friendly package is to make sure the bag size and thickness match what the product being packaged requires and not more than the product needs. Oversized packages and excessive thickness waste resources.
• Bag size: Requesting custom hand made samples for free will help ensure the package size matches what is needed
• Material thickness: Requesting custom hand made samples for free will help ensure the package thickness matches what is needed. There are a wide variety of materials available for down gauging purposes. Specialty resins allow the bag to be down gauged without sacrificing package performance. Down gauging saves cost and saves resources

Checklist to Buying More Environmentally Friendly

• Where is it made? Buying regionally/locally will limit the ecological transportation impact. We are a domestic manufacturer in Albany, New York and Thomasville, North Carolina.
  
• What is the material? Options include recycled content material (post industrial and post consumer), biodegradable material See below for details), and calcium carbonate material (non petroleum based resin)
• If printed, what are the inks used? We offer printing using water based inks that do not emit VOC’s (Volatile Organic Chemicals) into the air during production. Solvent based inks do emit chemicals.
  
• What is the end use? Can the package be down gauged without sacrificing performance? Down gauging will save cost and save resources. We offer free hand made samples to help determine if a thinner bag will work.

We Recycle

• We partner with our customers to recycle anything we can reuse in the production stream. Wickets and cores are the most popular and easiest items to send back to us for re-use. We will pay the freight back to our facility.