Materials Guide

Kraft vs White Paperboard for Food Packaging: Cost, Print Quality, and Sustainability Compared Brown kraft or white bleached? It’s one of the most basic packaging decisions — and one that affects your brand perception, print quality, cost, and environmental credentials more than most operators realize. Both materials are paper-based, food-safe, and widely recyclable. But they […]

Beyond PLA and Bagasse: 3 Next-Generation Packaging Materials That Could Replace Plastic by 2030 April 2026: New packaging materials are moving from lab to commercial scale. Here’s what food brands should watch. PLA and bagasse have been the default “sustainable packaging” materials for years. But both have limitations — PLA can’t handle heat and contaminates

Compostable Certifications Decoded: BPI vs ASTM D6400 vs EN 13432 vs OK Compost You see “compostable” on a food container and assume it breaks down naturally. But “compostable” without a certification is a meaningless claim — and in many jurisdictions, it’s now an illegal one. The word “compostable” on packaging must be backed by third-party

rPET vs PLA Clear Food Containers: Which Sustainable Material Should You Choose? If you need clear food containers — for salads, cold drinks, fruit cups, deli items, or sushi — you’re choosing between two materials that both claim to be sustainable: rPET (recycled PET plastic) and PLA (plant-based bioplastic). They look almost identical on the

Alternatives to Styrofoam Takeout Containers: Every Option Compared Styrofoam (expanded polystyrene/EPS) is being banned faster than most restaurants can find replacements. The EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive already prohibits EPS food containers, New York City enforced its ban in 2024, Massachusetts is advancing a statewide ban in 2026, and dozens of cities from San Francisco to

Compostable Clamshell Containers: Bagasse vs Molded Fiber vs PLA The clamshell container — a hinged, single-piece box that opens and closes like a shell — is the most versatile takeout container in food service. It holds burgers, sandwiches, salads, fried food, rice plates, and just about anything else a restaurant serves. As styrofoam clamshells get

Biodegradable Coffee Cups with Lids: PLA vs Paper vs Bagasse Compared The disposable coffee cup is under more scrutiny than any other piece of food packaging. Billions are used each year, most end up in landfill, and consumers are increasingly choosing cafés based on the sustainability of their packaging. If you’re still using conventional PE-coated

PP vs PET Food Containers: Which One Should You Actually Be Ordering? If you run a restaurant, meal prep company, or food delivery brand, you’ve faced this exact decision at the checkout page of every packaging supplier: PP or PET? Both materials are FDA-approved, food-grade, and widely available from Chinese manufacturers. Both are recyclable. Both

The sustainable packaging decision every restaurant faces in 2026 If you run a restaurant, café, or food delivery business, you have probably been told to switch away from traditional plastic packaging. Regulations in the EU, US, Canada, and Australia are tightening. Customers increasingly expect eco-friendly packaging. But when you start looking at alternatives, the choices