Novolex earns BPI compostable certifications for paper packaging

Duro, a brand under the umbrella of Hartsville, South Carolina-based packaging producer Novolex, has earned Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certification for numerous products in its Dubl Life line of paper bags and sacks. Novolex says the bags will also feature the Sustainable Packaging Coalition’s (SPC) How2Compost and How2Recycle labels, which inform consumers of how to dispose of the packaging after use.

According to Novolex, the SPC uses a rigorous assessment process to designate labels for use on products. The use of the How2Compost label, in particular, requires testing by the BPI to ensure the packaging can be processed in a commercial composting facility.

The BPI says its certification criteria include that products must be accepted in the majority of commercial compost facilities that accept compostable packaging, or be part of a closed-loop system in which a composter is willing to accept the product that has been identified; the product cannot be a redesign of an item that is a better fit for recycling due to existing demand, infrastructure and consumer awareness; the product cannot require disassembly in order to be composted; and the item must be associated with the diversion of desirable feedstocks, such as food scraps and yard trimmings, from landfills to composting.

Dubl Life products are made by the Duro Bag Manufacturing Co., Florence, Kentucky, and will now qualify to display the How2Recycle labels on a variety of packaging such as sacks, self-opening style bags, handle sacks and liquor bags. Novolex says Dubl Life products are made from 100 percent recycled materials, with a minimum of 60-percent-postconsumer-recycled paper.

“At Novolex, our goal is to minimize the environmental footprint of packaging and maximize our production of sustainable products,” Chief Technology Officer Adrianne Tipton, Ph.D., says. “Earning these important certifications again demonstrates our support of the circular economy and reaffirms our corporate commitment to sustainability.”