Pukka's sustainable packaging
We scour the globe in careful search of the finest organic, fairly-sourced, practitioner-grade herbs for our teas, supplements and lattes. How we sustainably package those herbs is extremely important to us to ensure they get to the you in the best possible condition and are as light as possible on the planet. Here’s a handy guide to show where our packaging materials come from, and what to do with them when you’ve finished using them.
Tea packaging
Boxes
Our tea boxes are made from FSC® certified card, and printed using vegetable-based inks. Once used, you can pop our tea boxes in your paper recycling bin.
Envelopes
The good news is after four years of research and development, we’ve made a tea envelope that can go in your paper recycling bin. Our FSC® certified paper envelopes include a very thin coating of plastic that is free from BPA and PVC but is a requirement to protect the high quality organic herbs and essential oils in our tea blends. Look out for the recycling logo on the envelope, and if it's there you can place it in your paper recycling bin.
Tea bag, tag and string
Our tea bag paper is made from a special blend of natural abaca (a type of banana), wood pulps and plant cellulose fibres – all of which make up over 99% of our tea bag paper. The natural fibres require reinforcement to hold our organic herbs when added to boiling water. Like many types of paper used in our daily lives, a resin needs to be added in the process of making the paper, so that it doesn’t fall apart. In the case of our tea bag paper, a resin makes up less than 1% of our paper. Our tea bags are staple-free and stitched together with 100% organic, non-GMO cotton, instead of heat sealed using plastic. The tags we use on each tea bag, to remind you which blend you are enjoying, are made from FSC® card.
What do I do with the tea bags once used?
You can pop the tea bag paper, organic string and organic herbs in your food waste bin. We are currently applying for an independent certification to give you added peace of mind that our teabags are 100% home compostable but we’re confident they’ll pass. The tag can be popped in your paper recycling bin.
Lattes packaging
Our latte pouches are made up of three layers - all of which are crucial in their role of protecting our organic latte blends:
The inner sealing layer is made of PLA (polylactic acid), a plant-based plastic made from renewable, non-genetically modified crops such as corn starch and sugar cane.
The second layer is Metallised NatureFlex™, a cellulose film made with wood pulps from sustainably managed forests. Ultra-thin pieces of aluminium are deposited on the film by evaporation to provide the barrier properties to protect our lattes.
Finally, the outer layer is PaperWise, which is paper made from reclaimed agricultural waste, such as leaves and stems from harvest. Paper made in this way has a lower carbon footprint than standard paper.
We print using Earth Inks which are glycol and silicone free, contain no heavy metals and near-zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels.
What do I do with the latte packaging after use?
The pouches are industrially compostable where facilities exist – in the UK, these facilities are limited but growing. If you do not have access to industrially compostable waste collection, please dispose of the latte pouches with your normal household waste.
Supplements packaging
We are happy to say, by weight our supplements packaging is 99% recyclable. The boxes our bottles sit in are made out of FSC® certified card. The bottles themselves are made of amber glass which is 40% recycled. The powders, tablets and capsules are protected inside the bottles by a plastic seal and an aluminium lid, apart from our castor oil bottles which have a plastic lid. Once used you can recycle the carton, alluminium lid and jar. The seal and the castor oil lid will need to be added to your normal waste bin. Our Aloe Vera bottles are made of glass, which is then covered in a plastic sleeve. The juice is protected inside the bottles by an aluminium and plastic lid. You can recycle the bottle. The lid and sleeve will need to be added to your normal waste bin.