Biodegradable packaging

Polybags' range of biodegradable packaging is designed to get the job done whilst reducing the impact on the environment.

We stock three main types of biodegradable packaging - compostable bags, biotransformation (Bio-T) bags and bio-additive bags - each of which offer a green alternative to regular polythene at the end of their product service life.

To find out more about each type of biodegradable packaging - and Polybags' other eco-friendly product ranges - please select from the following options:

Compostable packaging

Polybags' range of compostable bags are derived from natural, renewable resources such as sugar cane, potato starch or other biologically-sourced polymers.

Ideal for collecting food waste, these ultra-green bags are the most eco-friendly packaging that we produce. They are biodegradable and compostable and they conform to EU standard EN13432.

The bags have a shelf-life of approximately 12 months and, after use, can be disposed of in industrial composting, where they will first disintegrate (within 12 weeks) and then biodegrade (within six months) into carbon dioxide, water and biomass.

They are also suitable for home composting, although this process will take longer.

Biotransformation packaging

Polybags manufactures a range of biodegradable packaging using regular polythene that contains a biotransformation additive which accelerates the degradation process in the open environment and is scientifically-proven to biodegrade leaving behind no microplastics.

Products made with the 'Bio-T' additive retain all the properties of regular polythene bags - including their recyclability - during their service life, but if the bag escapes refuse streams and ends up in the open-air environment, it will break down and biodegrade into carbon dioxide, water and biomass - all naturally-benign materials.

Material containing the 'Bio-T' additive has been scientifically-proven to biodegrade in the open environment and it meets PAS 9017:2000 - the British Standards Institute (BSI) standard on the weathering of polyolefins.

Bio-additive packaging

Polybags also manufacture a range of eco-friendly bags from regular polythene that contains an additive which acts as a catalyst to accelerate the degradation process.

These products have a shelf life of approximately 12 months, after which point they are designed to first degrade into small pieces - triggered by sunlight, heat or mechanical stress - and then biodegrade into natural elements (carbon dioxide, water and humus).

This process can take anywhere between 2-5 years - depending on the disposal environment - rather than decades or centuries, as is the case with regular polythene.

This 'oxo-degradable' packaging is recyclable with traditional polythene up to the point it starts to degrade, at which stage it can be disposed of in the bin, as it will break down in the upper levels of landfill when exposed to oxygen and mechanical stress.

These bags do not meet the rapid biodegradation timetable of industrial composting standard EN13432 and so can not be marketed as compostable. They may be suitable for some domestic compost units but, as disposal conditions in these vary greatly, this will be a very slow process and could take a number of years.

Due to EU directive 2019/904 on the use of single-use plastics, Polybags is no longer able to sell bio-additive products to customers within the EU.