The Compost Bag Company develops and produces bio-degradable products in an environmental friendly way. Our bags and films offer a quality alternative for traditional, non-degradable products that take centuries to disappear.

The Compost Bag Company aims at reducing the vast amounts of plastics waste by introducing alternatives that are more environmentally friendly. We use natural and renewable raw materials to make certified fully compostable products. The production process is designed to have a minimal impact on the environment. We do not compromise when it comes to the quality of our products ad of the way we produce them.

Strong moral values

The Compost Bag Company operates in an institutional, economic, politic, social and cultural context of wide variety, which in addition is characterized by constant change. All business activities must be carried out within the limits of the law and in accordance with the principles of fair competition, in all honesty and integrity, and with respect for the legitimate interests of customers, employees and shareholders, commercial and financial partners and of society as a whole and the natural environment in which the company operates. Everyone at The Compost Bag Company, without distinction or exception, is committed to these principles and expects the same from his/her partners and business contacts. The corporate interest can never be invoked as justification for behavior that is inconsistent with these principles.

Cradle-to-cradle through organic recycling

The Compost Bag exclusively uses materials that come from natural, renewable resources, preferably with minimal environmental impact.

One important component of our compostable plastic is derived from cardoon seed oil. Cardoon is a kind of thistle, an endemic weed in the Mediterranean. Generations of local farmers have tried to destroy it ; yet, today, they grow it for its seeds that are rich in oil. The plants thrive on dry marginal land, inadequate for food or feed production, and do not require irrigation or fertilisation. From the cardoon seed oil, azelaic acid – a main chemical building block of our raw material – is derived through biorefinery. But, at the same time, nothing is wasted of the cardoon plant. The “cake” of crushed cardoon seeds goes back to the farmers to feed the herds of goats. The dry leaves and stems of the cardoon plant are incinerated to create the electrical power that drives the biorefinery. Next to azelaic acid, pelargonic acid and glycerol are derived from the cardoon seed oil. The first is a natural herbicide ; the second finds widespread use in cosmetics, in medical preparations and in food. In short, nothing goes to waste. On top, this cardoon project offers a new future for poor peasants and formerly unemployed workers in Sardinia.

Another important component is derived from sugar beet pulp from which most of the sugar has already been extracted. The rest sugar in this waste product from agro-industry is being transferred into bio-butanediol 1,4 by bacteria. The remainder is then used as cattle feed.

In the production of our bags and films, we thrive to achieve high quality levels in ecologically sustainable processes. We refuse to compromise on the quality of the products that we produce and commercialise, and on the services we render with them as well. Since 1997, the yearly ISO-9001 audits have resulted in renewal of our quality management system certification with flying colours. Since 2004, the same goes for the ISO-14001 certificates on our environmental impact management system. From 2009 on, we use only 100% renewable energy and solvent free inks. In 2012, the zero-emitter status for industrial waste water has been officially confirmed. All production scraps are recycled in house and are reused. Other professional waste is source separated and treated through the proper channels. We constantly look for opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of our activities.

Our CompostBags® are certified fully compostable. After a useful life as a bag, they go back to nature through organic recycling (e.g. composting). As proof of such certification, they all bear the OK Compost and/or Seedling mark, which have been attributed by the independent test lab TÜV-Austria. Compost is a valuable soil amendment, improving carbon levels in the soil. Carbon is an important element for plants to build their structure (e.g. stems, twigs, leaves…)

Our BioGarden® mulch film is not only compostable ; it also biodegrades in the soil. In that way, shreds of film can be worked into the soil where they will biodegrade within 24 months. This was also certified by TÜV-Austria who allowed us to print their OK Biodegradable SOIL mark.