PACKAGING · SUSTAINABILITY · UPDATED AUGUST 2026
What Is Compostable Packaging?
Compostable packaging can reduce reliance on conventional plastic, but the word “compostable” needs context. Materials, certification, disposal conditions, and access to the right composting environment all determine what happens after a package is used.
QUICK ANSWER
What Does Compostable Packaging Mean?
Compostable packaging is designed to break down under appropriate composting conditions and become part of usable compost without leaving harmful residues. But “home compostable” and “industrially compostable” are not the same thing, and compostable packaging should not be assumed to break down properly in a landfill, recycling bin, or natural environment. [1] [2]
Why We Started Looking Beyond Conventional Plastic
Packaging presents a basic tension for a small hemp company. A package needs to protect the product, communicate important information, and function reliably. But once the product is used, that same package becomes waste.
Door County Cannabis Co. began looking for packaging that could perform those practical functions while reducing our dependence on conventional single-use flexible plastic.
That led us to compostable flexible packaging supplied by WildKind Packaging in Austin, Texas.
What Is Our Compostable Packaging Made From?
WildKind currently describes its compostable films as being made from combinations of plant-derived materials including cassava, wood pulp, and beetroot. Its compostable zippers and related components can use plant-derived feedstocks such as dent corn. [3]
Home Compostable vs. Industrially Compostable
These terms should not be used interchangeably.
Home Compostable
Designed to break down under the lower and less consistent temperatures found in a properly managed home compost environment. TÜV Austria's OK compost HOME program exists specifically because home composting occurs under less controlled conditions than industrial composting.
Industrially Compostable
Designed for managed commercial composting facilities that use controlled heat, moisture, microorganisms, and other conditions to process compostable material.
TÜV Austria notes that products certified only for industrial composting should not automatically be placed in a home garden compost pile. Home-compostable certification uses different requirements because home composting is generally cooler and less controlled. [4]
Is Our Entire Pouch “Certified Home Compostable”?
This is where sustainability claims need precision.
WildKind states that the films it supplies carry home or industrial compostability ratings. However, the company specifically advises brands not to describe a finished pouch simply as “certified compostable” based only on the certifications of its individual components. [5]
That distinction matters to us. We would rather describe what we actually know about the packaging than turn a material choice into a broader environmental claim that the evidence does not support.
OUR APPROACH TO THE CLAIM
Compostable Does Not Mean Magic.
A compostable pouch does not disappear because it is thrown into ordinary trash. Composting requires the right biological conditions.
It also does not mean the package should be littered, placed in conventional plastic recycling, or assumed to break down properly in every environment.
What About the Child-Resistant Closure?
This requires another important distinction.
WildKind offers a compostable child-resistant zipper option, but the supplier explicitly states that using the zipper does not automatically certify an entire finished pouch as child-resistant. The completed packaging configuration must meet the applicable requirements and testing for that claim. [5]
In other words, individual packaging components and a finished consumer package are not necessarily the same certification question.
How Does Compostable Packaging Actually Break Down?
Composting is a biological process. Appropriate moisture, microorganisms, oxygen, temperature, and time create the environment in which compostable materials can break down.
WildKind similarly describes moisture, air, heat, and microbial activity as conditions required for degradation of its compostable packaging materials. [5]
That is why disposal method matters as much as the material itself.
Can Compostable Packaging Go in the Recycling Bin?
Generally, compostable flexible packaging should not simply be placed into conventional plastic recycling unless your local waste program specifically instructs you to do so.
Compostable materials and conventional recyclable plastics are designed for different end-of-life systems.
Check local waste and composting instructions rather than relying only on the package material.
Does Compostable Packaging Solve the Packaging Problem?
No.
Packaging has environmental impacts regardless of the material used. Raw materials must be produced, packaging must be manufactured and transported, and the used package still needs an appropriate end-of-life pathway.
Compostable packaging is one attempt to address part of that problem. It does not eliminate the need to reduce unnecessary packaging, improve waste infrastructure, or communicate disposal instructions clearly.
That is also why we would not describe one packaging choice as “saving the planet.”
Why Did Door County Cannabis Co. Choose It?
We wanted to reduce our dependence on conventional flexible plastic while still protecting the product inside.
WildKind's current compostable films are designed with moisture and oxygen barrier properties for applications such as dry foods and powders, while its materials use bio-based inputs and compostability-rated components. [3]
That made the packaging worth trying for products such as our gummies.
WHAT SUSTAINABILITY MEANS TO US
We do not view sustainability as a claim that one package or product is environmentally harmless. We view it as a series of decisions where we try to find a better option, understand its limitations, and communicate those limitations honestly.
How Should Consumers Think About Environmental Claims?
Specific claims are more useful than broad ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between compostable and biodegradable?
“Compostable” refers to breakdown under defined composting conditions. “Biodegradable” is a broader term and can be misleading without information about conditions and timing. FTC guidance requires environmental degradation claims to be supported and appropriately qualified. [2]
Can compostable packaging go in a home compost pile?
Only when the material is appropriate for home composting and the compost system provides suitable conditions. Industrial-compost-only materials should not automatically be placed in a home compost system. [4]
Does compostable packaging break down in a landfill?
A landfill does not provide the same managed biological conditions as a compost system. A compostable claim should therefore not be interpreted to mean the package will quickly disappear after ordinary disposal.
Is Door County Cannabis Co. packaging plastic-free?
We would not make a blanket “plastic-free” claim unless every component of the specific finished package and its material composition supported that statement. Our preferred approach is to describe the compostable materials and components we actually use.
Who makes the compostable packaging?
Door County Cannabis Co. has sourced compostable flexible packaging from WildKind Packaging, which produces custom packaging in Austin, Texas. [3]
BETTER QUESTIONS. BETTER CHOICES.
Sustainability Is a Process, Not a Label.
Door County Cannabis Co. began on a Wisconsin farm, so the environmental side of what we make has always mattered to us.
Compostable packaging is not perfect. It is one decision we made to move away from conventional flexible plastic where we believed there was a practical alternative.
Sources & Further Reading
- TÜV AUSTRIA. OK compost HOME certification program. Learn about home compostability .
- Federal Trade Commission. Environmental Claims: Summary of the Green Guides. View FTC environmental marketing guidance .
- WildKind Packaging. Compostable Packaging Materials. View WildKind materials .
- TÜV AUSTRIA. OK compost HOME and OK compost INDUSTRIAL certification information. Compare industrial compostability .
- WildKind Packaging. Packaging materials, compostability, and child-resistant packaging FAQs. View supplier FAQs .
Packaging configurations and supplier materials can change. Compostability depends on the specific materials and components used as well as disposal conditions. This article describes Door County Cannabis Co.'s approach and current supplier information and should not be interpreted as a claim that packaging will biodegrade under every disposal condition.
