Our Packaging

An Always Evolving Journey With Birds and the Planet in Mind

Packaging, especially environmentally friendly packaging, is a nuanced endeavour. 

Our packaging up until now has always been a combination of home and industrially (BPI certified) compostable material. And we and our customers have loved this option.

Home compostable is fantastic, but not everyone has a compost pile at home. Industrial composting is also promising, but not everyone has access (yet).

So, after ongoing conversations with people way smarter than us and who are dedicated to and passionate about sustainable packaging, and needing to find a scalable solution for our next packaging chapter, we decided to move to a more circular form of sustainability in the form of PCR (Post Consumer Recycled) packaging, meaning packaging made using recycled plastic waste collected from consumers, such as bottles and containers, keeping materials in circulation and out of landfills. It can then go on to be further recycled into things like textiles and decking material. 

There’s also something important worth noting: compostable packaging that isn’t straight paper — and that ends up in a landfill, which without reliable composting infrastructure happens more often than it should — doesn’t simply break down. In the absence of oxygen, it decomposes anaerobically and releases methane, a greenhouse gas significantly more potent than CO₂. In that scenario, the environmental outcome can sometimes be worse than conventional plastic, which remains largely inert in landfill conditions.

Our packaging is also PFAS free. Our packaging has always been PFAS-free (those are those nasty forever chemicals), and that remained non-negotiable as we made the switch to PCR. 

We’ll continue to do our part to make sure that our packaging is as kind as it can be to the environment that the birds (and we) need and love. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What does PCR mean?

PCR stands for Post Consumer Recycled. It means our packaging is made using, in part, material made from recycled plastic waste collected from consumers, like bottles and containers, keeping materials in circulation and out of landfills.

Can I recycle your packaging?

Yes, and no.

PCR packaging has, essentially, already had the recycling part done in that it's made with material that uses recycled consumer products. This is what gives this style of packaging its sustainability edge, and it's largely considered one of the most sustainable options for consumer products. So, this is the yes part.

After this use, it can technically then be 'downcycled' into things like textiles and decking material, but facilities that accommodate this are still not reliably accessible. This is the no part. And also the yes part.

All this said, you can consider these PCR bags similar to a #7 plastic in the recycling system. If you have access to a store-drop recycling depot that accepts #7, then YES, please recycle it here. If not, please do NOT put them in your curbside recycling unless you know they accept #7 (some do, some don't). Short of these options, please discard with your regular household garbage. 

Please know that even if they do find their way to the garbage bin that they were still a more sustainable option than virgin plastic.

Why did you move away from compostable packaging?

Our previous packaging — an outer paper bag with an inner bag that was certified compostable in an industrial setting — was something we and our customers genuinely loved. But it was labour intensive and not scalable as we grow.

And the more we learned, the more complicated the picture became. Even material that is certified compostable in an industrial setting, while growing in recognition, was simultaneously becoming accepted by some curbside composting programs and refused by others — with no reliable consistency depending on where you live — making it an unreliable solution for our customers across the board.

It's worth saying that companies like BPI (which certifies material to be (or not) compostable in industrial settings) are doing genuinely important work and making real strides in sustainable packaging certification — this isn't a criticism of their work or their efforts. The challenge is less about the certification and more about the infrastructure needed to support it reliably at scale. Without consistent access to the right composting facilities, even the best certified compostable packaging can't fulfill its promise to everyone, everywhere — and in a landfill, as we mention above, the outcome can actually be worse than conventional plastic.

We didn't leave compostable packaging because we stopped caring. We left it because we found something that works more reliably for more people, in more places, at this time.

And PFAS-free remained non-negotiable throughout.

Why don't you  just use paper bags?

It's a fair question, and one we asked ourselves too.

The short answer is that our seeds are premium — meaning they're high in the fats and oils that birds truly love and that make our blends so effective at attracting them. But those same oils are hard on paper packaging. Over time, they migrate through the bag — and while the resulting oil bleed is largely cosmetic, the more important issue is that paper doesn't keep high-oil seeds fresh the way a proper barrier bag does.

And birds, it turns out, are discerning. They're not particularly fond of dried-out, stale seeds — and we're not particularly fond of offering them any.

Our PCR packaging provides the barrier protection our seeds need to stay fresh, while still being the most sustainable option we've found for doing so.

What is PFAS and why does it matter?

PFAS are often referred to as “forever chemicals,” meaning they last — essentially forever.

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals found in many everyday products that don't break down in the environment or in our bodies, which is why they're called 'forever chemicals.'

Our previous packaging was PFAS-free, and that remained non-negotiable as we made the switch to PCR. Choosing PFAS-free packaging means we're not contributing more of these chemicals to the soil, water, and environments that birds — and all of us — depend on.

Will you continue to improve your packaging?

Always. We don't consider our packaging a solved problem; we consider it an ongoing responsibility. As materials science improves, as better sustainable options become reliably available and scalable, and as we continue learning from people smarter than us who are dedicated to this work, we'll keep evolving.

The birds and the planet deserve nothing less.