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.

• Our tea packaging is 100% recyclable. 

• Our tea boxes are made from FSC® certified card, and printed using vegetable-based inks. 

• Our teabags are 100% compostable and we even use organic cotton string.

End of life recycling information

We want people to be clear which recycling bin to put Pukka packaging in once they’re finished with it. In 2021 we took a step forward on our commitment to include end of life information on all of our packaging, a complex challenge given the huge variety in recycling infrastructure and legislation across our global markets. The new guidance will be printed on all our packaging by the end of 2022.

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

We wrap our organic herbal blends in an envelope because we want to lock in the freshness and protect the high essential oil content which gives our teas such a special taste. Individually wrapped envelopes protect the tea bags from air and moisture which degrade the herbs, causing the tea to lose its depth of flavour and herbal health benefits. The envelope also prevents any cross-contamination of flavour or smell with other nearby foods. In 2019, after four years of research and development, we made a tea envelope that can go in your paper recycling bin. Our new FSC® certified paper envelopes still include a very thin coating of plastic that is free from BPA and PVC (<5% of the envelope weight). It’s so thin that it can be recycled with normal paper across our markets. Looking even further ahead, we are working with suppliers to source this barrier from a compostable plant-based source.

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. 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 (especially when adding hot water!). 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?

Our teabags are certified home compostable, which means you can pop the tea bag paper, organic string and herbs in your food waste bin. The tag should be placed in your paper recycling bin.

Supplements packaging

Supplements packaged in glass jars

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 and contain 40% recycled content. 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.

We’ve replaced the unrecyclable black lids on Pukka’s Castor Oil and Elderberry Syrup, with white lids which are widely recycled.

Once used, pop the carton in your cardboard recycling bin. Please keep the lid on the bottle and place them in your glass recycling bin. By putting the lid back on the bottle, it reduces the chance of the lid getting lost in the sorting process and enables it to be recycled properly.

Our Aloe Vera Juice 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 in your glass recycling, with the lid screwed back on. The sleeve, which is made from 30% post consumer recycled content, will need to be added to your general waste bin.

Supplements packaged in cardboard tubes

We are pleased to introduce our new and improved supplement packaging. You can now buy many of our supplements in specially developed cardboard tubes. The tube is made from sustainably sourced cardboard and is fully recyclable. Our new cardboard tubes are 67% lighter than glass jars which significantly improves the environmental impact of our packaging. We received third-party verification of the greenhouse gas emission savings achieved by our new packaging design in May 2022 and are thrilled to report a reduction of 58%.

The plant-based cellulose bag which is packed inside the inner tube is composed of 90% renewable materials, is made from sustainable FSC and PEFC- certified wood pulp, does not contain GMO materials and is certified for industrial composting.

Once you have finished your supplements, please put the cardboard tube in with your cardboard recycling. For the inner bag, please check your local council guidance to see if they accept compostable materials. If they do, pop it in your food waste bin, otherwise dispose of it in your household waste.