The original innovators
We have devoted the last 12 years to developing world-leading sustainable
food packaging, so you can serve your customers the best.
Why ecoware?
It's simple, we work with nature, not against it.
Made from plants, not oil
The majority of Ecoware products are made entirely from plant material.
Paper from managed plantations
We prefer to use paper from responsibly managed plantations.
Non-toxic inks
Our inks are either soy or water-based and are non-toxic.
Made from renewable resources
Most of our raw materials are produced by nature - we prioritise renewable resources.
Commercially compostable
Ecoware products have been certified or trialled for commercial and/or home composting.
Sustainable
Our products provide a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic food packaging.
Toitū Climate Positive certified
We don't just measure and offset, we've set science-based targets to reduce emissions across our value chain and make a broader societal impact.
Delivery without delay
We provide overnight delivery nationwide, enabled by three warehouses across NZ.
Packaging with principles
Put simply, we’re passionate about a circular economy. To do our part to help achieve this, we design our range of plant-based food packaging to use resources sustainably and responsibly, giving environmental, social and economic concerns equal consideration.
Our main raw materials
Polylactic Acid (PLA)
One of the first bioplastics, polylactic acid (PLA), is produced by bacterial fermentation under controlled conditions of a carbohydrate source like corn starch, cassava or sugarcane. We work with bioplastic pioneer NatureWorks, which manufactures the industry-leading bioplastic brand Ingeo™. Comparable to fossil-fuel plastic functionality and usefulness, PLA has the ability to be processed in different forms, retaining the functional properties of plastic, but in commercial compost environments will decompose back to its natural element—the material starting block, lactic acid.
Where you will find PLA: Cold clear cups, lining our coffee cups, coffee cup lids, clear bowls, and container lids.
Paper
There is an increasing pressure on paper and forestry to relieve the growing tension for takeaway convenience as we move away from fossil-fuel single-use plastic packaging. Paper and paperboard products provide mechanical strength and are biodegradable, home and industrially compostable, with excellent printability. Lamination with the biobased polymers PLA provides improved barrier properties such as insulation and greaseproofing. Look for our FSC®-certified products (FSC-C142978).
Where you will find paper: Coffee cups, paper bowls, noodle boxes, kraft tableware, coffee carrier trays, coffee cup sleeves, napkins, straws and paper bags.
Birchwood
When responsibly sourced from sustainably managed forests, wood products are useful in meeting current demands for convenience while replacing fossil fuel single-use plastic packaging. A fast-growing species native to parts of Europe, northern Asia, the Arctic and North America, birch wood is a renewable alternative to plastic cutlery banned throughout Aotearoa since 1 July 2023.
Where you will find birch wood: Cutlery.
Bamboo
One of the most prolific sources of biomass in the world, bamboo is a resistant plant with rapid growth and a consequent high carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake. Each growth cycle completion (and harvest) occurs between 120 and 150 days. Durable, heat-resistant, and functional, bamboo packaging also plays a crucial role in reducing our dependency on wood products. The carbon sequestration capacity of bamboo forests is estimated to be similar to or even larger than that of fast-growing timber plantations.
Where you will find bamboo: Select cutlery items. Bamboo food boxes and lids.
Sugarcane
A by-product of the sugarcane industry, bagasse is what remains after crushing sugarcane stalks to extract their juice. Mainly fibrous materials such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, sugarcane bagasse is an agro-waste-based material solution that diverts this leafy biomass from incineration or landfilling on the fields. Mouldable and highly durable, sugarcane offers a wide range of product applications that work towards reducing the accumulation of plastic packaging waste without compromising any product features.
Where you will find sugarcane: Sugarcane tableware, sugarcane paper pulp coffee cup lids.
Aqueous linings
Functioning as a pigment that is absorbed into the fibres when applied to the paper, aqueous linings utilise a water-based dispersion system of polystyrene and polyacrylate polymers to create strong oxygen and oil barriers and insulation properties. Aqueous linings require fewer polymers (6 grams per square metre versus 30 grams of PLA or 15 grams of PE per square metre).
Where you will find aqueous linings: Aqueous cups.
Industry Partners
To ensure we remain at the forefront of our industry, we partner with national and international leaders in sustainable business practice.
Toitū climate positive certified
The Toitū climate positive certification is the most robust of its kind and recognised internationally in 60 countries. Ecoware are the very first company to be awarded with it and take pride in the strides we've made toward our goal of zero waste. Becoming climate positive means we don't just measure and offset our emissions, we are also aligning with science based targets, influencing supply chain networks and educating stakeholders about emissions reductions too.
Toitū carbonzero certified
We have been a Toitū carbonzero certified company for 8 years running and the first company to achieve this in the packaging industry. The certificate requires us to measure and monitor our annual emissions and subsequently offset that footprint via carbon credits. We establish reduction plans to target any remaining emissions. This certification is in compliance with ISO 14064-1 standard and the most robust of it's kind.
Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®)
We are committed to environmental responsibility, which is why we are FSC certified. FSC is a globally recognised mark of credibility and trust, dedicated to promoting responsible forestry management around the world. You can be assured that your FSC certified EcoCups, EcoBowls and paper straws are made from responsibly sourced paper.
Ingeo™
Naturally advanced low-carbon footprint Ingeo™ resins (Polylactide or PLA) are manufactured by US company, NatureWorks LLC: a world leading biopolymers supplier and innovator. They supply resin made from renewable plant resources, which we manufacture and manipulate into Ecoware food packaging. The production of Ingeo™ emits fewer greenhouse gasses than the comparable manufacture of common petrochemical-based plastic 1. In short, this technology allows us to turn plants into plastic.
Public Place Recycling Scheme
The Public Place Recycling Scheme is an industry funded program that helps New Zealanders recycle when they are away from home by providing more opportunities to recycle, reduce litter and increase awareness about “doing the right thing”. We are founding members.
WasteMINZ
WasteMINZ is the authoritative voice on waste and resource recovery in New Zealand seeking to achieve ongoing and positive development of the industry through strengthening relationships, facilitating collaboration, knowledge sharing and championing best practice standards. We are a proud WasteMINZ member.
NZ Specialty Coffee Association
The NZ Specialty Coffee Association is the national representative body for specialty coffee stakeholders in NZ. The purpose of the Association is to represent all stakeholders in NZ specialty coffee, provide a forum for industry participants to advance the NZ specialty coffee industry, provide professional development through training & education, and promote public interest and customer awareness of specialty coffee in NZ.
Time to make your customers proud.
Join thousands of businesses across the globe currently
using Ecoware compostable packaging.