For quite some time now, “environmentally friendly” and “recyclable” have been buzzwords. Based on current statistics, roughly 67 percent of adults confirm they regularly recycle metal cans and aluminum. However, of the 33.6 million tons of plastic discarded each year in the United States, only 6.5 percent is recycled. There is a growing number of purported environmentally friendly plastic bag manufacturers hard at work to combat the problem of discarded plastic. These manufacturers produce a broad range of claimed “eco-friendly” plastic products from recycled plastic for both personal and business use. With the ever changing federal regulatory requirements as to what can be stated when making claims on your custom bag, Polypak Packaging has put together a brief overview of the various statements and claims that can be made to be in compliance with the FTC.
- Eco-Friendly claims: This claim would not be deceptive if the statement “made with recycled materials” is clear and prominent: the manufacturer can substantiate that the entire product or package is made from recycled material; making the product with recycled materials makes the product more environmentally beneficial overall.
- Biodegradable claims: It is deceptive to make an unqualified degradable claim for items entering the solid waste stream if the items do not completely decompose within one year after customary disposal. Unqualified degradable claims for items that are customarily disposed in landfills, incinerators, and recycling facilities are deceptive because these locations do not present conditions in which complete decomposition will occur within one year. An example of a qualified Biodegradable claim would be if there was subsequent language identifying the conditions that would result in the product degrading and under what conditions must exist for the product to biodegradable and over what time period.
- Recycled content claims: It is deceptive to represent, directly or by implication, that an item contains recycled content unless it is composed of materials that have been recovered or otherwise diverted from the waste stream, either during the manufacturing process (pre-consumer) or after consumer use (post-consumer). If the source of recycled content includes pre-consumer, there should be substantiation that the pre-consumer material would have otherwise have entered the waste stream.
Plastic envelopes are a perfect example of products deemed environmentally friendly. Not only are these envelopes functional, robust, attractive, versatile, and affordable, they are also recyclable. Today, the number of mailers and envelopes used is staggering. Therefore, reputable environmentally friendly and recyclable plastic bag manufacturers have taken a stance in changing the production of plastic products. Using state-of-the-art technology, manufacturers give customers what they want and need while eliminating a burden on landfills, public lands, and the ocean.
If you want to learn more about our company and the products that we manufacture, we invite you to visit our website. You can also contact a company representative by calling us today. We would love the opportunity to partner with you in the effort to support the planet.
Please visit our website at dev.polypak.com or contact us by phone 800-826-4000 to learn about the products that we offer and to assist in using the right terminology to enhance your brand.
