Our Sustainability
Our kaupapa (purpose) at OKU has always been about helping people discover or rediscover and experience the amazing properties of the native plants that are found in the ngahere (forests) of Aotearoa. It is also about making sure that this is done in a way that every effort is made to reduce our footprint on the whenua (land).
This covers every aspect of our business model from how we harvest to the packaging we use through to how we send our products out. This all ensures OKU is being a good kaitiaki (guardian) to the whenua.
We hope you enjoy our range of uniquely Kiwiana products as much as we have put our aroha (love) into making them for you.
Our Packaging
FSC Certified fully recyclable/re-useable tube packaging for our Tea Range
All of our loose leaf blends use NatureFlex™inner bags that are fully Home Compostable
Our Teas are also available in NeoSoilon® Pyramid Tea bags that are made from 100% non-GMO sugarcane.
Our large Tea Pouches are a combination of paper & PLA
All bottles & jars used are glass with aluminium closures.
All courier satchels are fully Home Compostable
All other paper used in packaging or in the daily operation of the business is FSC certified incl. Sandow Recycled paper for all our invoices. What little waste paper is generated in day to day office use is shredded and reused as packing in orders.
Even the packing tape we choose to use is made from fully biodegradeable cellulose with a rubber adhesive.
We are very strict about where we source our ingredients from. All of our native herbs are wildcrafted from approved blocks of land & all other herbs are certified organic. As many of our other ingredients we use are also either organic, fair-trade or both. The glycerine used in our Elixirs is palm free. Suppliers need to show appropriate paperwork & certification before we purchase from them.
Compostable Tea Bag
Please Recycle
100% Recycled Material
How to recycle or compost your OKU product:
NatureFlex & Courier Bags: Remove or cut off any labels/stickers still attached and place the bag itself into your compost bin. If you don’t have a home compost there are also helpful sites you can use to share another person’s compost, such as Sharewaste.
TeaTubes: Zero plastic, 100% FSC Card so this can simply be put into your local council recycling collection with other card & paper or reused by repurchasing our Refill Bag Options.
NeoSoilon® TeaBags: Send them to your nearest commercial composting facility. There are 12 industrial facilities in New Zealand and 3 community facilities that currently accept compostable packaging as well as local councils preparing to begin home organic collections.
Or alternatively you can add them into your home compost where we recommend cutting them up with scissors first to help them along.
Info on NeoSoilon® TeaBags
From the viewpoint of environmental problems, there have been many needs in the market for Eco friendly biodegradable tea bags.
In order to respond to the changing needs from petroleum-based materials (Nylon, PET, etc.) to plant-based materials as a sustainable resource. GMO products have also been shunned due to growing demand for organic products in the market.
For this reason, we here at OKU have sought out a product that is 100% Non-GMO.
We have found this in the NeoSoilon® a high quality mesh filter made from 100% non-GMO sugar cane.
Info on NatureFlex™ Bags
Our NatureFlex™ Inner Bags used for our loose leaf tea and our Refill Bag Options are both certified as home compostable and biodegradable and are made from renewable sustainable resources. Wood pulp is used and is guaranteed to be non GMO and sourced exclusively from suppliers operating under FSC and PEFC standards.
Manufactured from renewable wood pulp sourced from managed plantations.
Suitable for all types of ‘Industrial’ and ‘Home’ composting.
Compostable in anaerobic digestion.
Biodegrades at ambient temperatures.
Also Biodegrades in water and sewage environments.
| Method | Plastic film | NatureFlex | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Composting | x | ✓ | *NatureFlex films are certified to EN13432, ASTM D6400 and AS4376 |
| Home Composting | x | ✓ | *NatureFlex films are certified to OK Compost Home, NFT51-800 and AS5810 |
| Anaerobic Digestion | x | ✓ | Tested to ISO 15985 |
| Incineration (EfW) | ✓ | ✓ | Basic suitability |
| Landfill | ? | ? | No adverse effects but not desirable |
| Mechanical Recycling | x | x | NatureFlex films are not suitable. Impractical for flexible film structures |
| Paper Recycling | ? | ? | NaturalFlex films will separate from paper but are not themselves recyclable, similar to plastic film |
Extra Info on Packaging:
| Description | Materials | Certifications | Compostable/Recyclable |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Tubes | FSC & BRC Certified | FSC & BRC | Fully recyclable |
| Tea Bags | NeoSoilon® 100% non-GMO sugarcane | Non GMO Project, TÜV – OK Compost (Industrial), BPI Compostable | Commercially compostable |
| Inner Bag – Loose Leaf | NatureFlex™ Timber Cellulose | FSC, TÜV - OK Compost (Home), BPI Compostable | Fully home compostable |
| Tea Pouches | PLA, Paper Outer | TÜV - OK Compost, EN13432 | Commercially compostable |
| All jars & Bottles | Glass with alumiunium closures | Recyclable | |
| Inner Booklet | Uncoated paper | FSC, PEFC | Fully recyclable |
| Tea Seal Sticker | Uncoated Art Paper | ||
| Packaging Tape | Timber cellulose with natural rubber adhesive system. Tape core is made from recycled materials | PEFC, ROHS | Both are naturally biodegradeable |
| Courier Bags | PBAT (biodegradeable copolymer) + PLA (corn starch & sugarcane) | TÜV – OK Compost (Home), BPI Compostable, Dincerto compostable | Fully home compostable (with shipping labels, stickers removed) |
| Invoices | Sandow Recycled Paper | ||
| All Inks | Petroleum free inks | ||
More Info on Certifications:
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC): FSC has a global forest certification system to provide a guarantee that forest products come from responsibly managed sources. The system has two key components:
Forest Management (FM) certification shows that forest managers or owners are managing their forests in a responsible way. forest management certification is a guarantee your processes and operations meet FSC standards;
Chain of Custody (CoC) certification provides a guarantee about the production and source of FSC-certified products. It is for businesses manufacturing or trading forest products. Chain of Custody certification verifies that products are handled correctly at every stage of production – from forest to shelf.
FSC has a direct, permanent, positive impact on the world’s forests and on the people and everything living from, in and around them.
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC): A leading global alliance (based in Geneva, Switzerland) of national forest certification systems. As an international non-profit, non-governmental organization, we are dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management through independent third-party certification.
British Retail Consortium (BRC): A standard that specifies requirements for a company to ensure food safety during the production, packing, storing and distribution processes.
Non GMO Project: The Non-GMO Project Verified mark assures consumers that the product bearing the label has been evaluated for compliance with the Non-GMO Standard.
TÜV Austria: Packaging or products that feature the TÜV OK Compost logo (based on European standard EN1432) are guaranteed as biodegradable & compostable. There are two categories:
Industrial - Packaging or products are guaranteed to be biodegradable in an industrial composting plant. This applies to all of their components, inks and additives.
Home – Packaging or products are guaranteed to have complete biodegradability even in your garden compost heap.
Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI): BPI is a North American science-driven organisation that supports a shift to the circular economy by promoting the production, use, and appropriate end of lives for materials and products that are designed to fully biodegrade in specific biologically active environments. Uses the ASTM D6400 certification which is equivalent to the European EN1432.
What is the difference between Compostable and biodegradable?
Biodegradable plastic is plastic that will break down through the action of living organisms, usually microbes. To fully break down, biodegradable plastics require the right environment.
If biodegradable plastic is left to break down in an environment such as in landfills or the sea – it often only breaks down into micro-plastics. These micro-plastics can create ‘plastic smog’ in parts of the ocean and accumulate in soils.
To gain certifications such as TÜV – OK Compost, the product must break down within 90 days in commercial compost and 180 days in domestic compost conditions, including wormfarm compost. After degradation, they must leave no harmful residues behind. In fact, the only residue left behind is a soil enhancer which is returned to the earth as plant food.