The Fascinating Truth About Natural Farm’s Sustainable Packaging

Author: Lori Marsh

What does sugarcane have to do with your dog’s favorite chews? Natural Farm uses sustainable sugarcane packaging as a green (and oh-so-sweet) way to keep your dog’s treats fresh and protect our planet. When it comes to our carbon pawprints, we see our packaging as another way we can fulfill our commitment to sustainability. 

We find our eco-friendly packaging to be fascinating, and we think you will, too. Read on to learn more about how this innovative and sustainable initiative saves our planet one package of treats at a time. 

What Makes Our Packaging Unique? 

We bet you didn’t even think twice about packaging as you opened your dog’s beef tracheas or bully sticks. Why would you? This durable and effective packaging looks and feels like plastic. But what exactly is it? It’s bio-plastic, a material made using a plant source rather than fossil fuels to create plastic. 

More specifically, we use “I’m green Plastic” (AKA sugarcane plastic) which is made by turning sugarcane into ethanol. This ethanol then goes through a dehydrating process, which transforms it into plastic. Yes, the same sweet plant that grows in Central Florida and South America and is used to make your baked goods taste better is turned into eco-friendly plastic. 

Why Sugarcane?

Unlike fossil fuels, where most plastics come from, sugarcane is a renewable and sustainable resource. And it produces oxygen for us to breathe. In fact, the vast fields of sugarcane that are destined to become our packages recaptures CO2 and prevents further damage to the atmosphere from greenhouse gases. 

This fast-growing grass only takes about a year to grow to full maturity--kind of like bamboo. This makes it highly efficient. Especially when you consider the millions of years it takes the Earth to produce fossil fuels.  

Using sugarcane as a raw material for our packaging reduces the use of wood products, and is one more way we are working toward preserving our planet’s forests. 

Is Sugarcane Packaging Biodegradable? 

Unfortunately, no. Because sugarcane plastic is plastic, it keeps your dog’s treats fresh and doesn’t easily break down. It also means you cannot compost your sugarcane plastic, but you can recycle it. Recycling your Natural Farm’s packages comes with a wide array of Earth-friendly benefits in its own right. 

Recycling your Natural Farm packaging: 

• Reduces the demand for new plastic 
• Keeps plastics out of the waste stream 
• Keeps the CO2 trapped in the packaging and out of the atmosphere. 

Will Sugarcane Plastic Eventually Bio-degrade? 

Yes, but it takes a long time. We’re talking about a century--which is better than most other plastics but still too long to wait to be able to use it as compost in your garden.  

Ultimately, using bioplastic does benefit the planet and is a much better alternative to typical packaging choices. So, we hope you will choose to dispose of your Natural Farm packages in the recycle bin, so they can start their lives anew. 

Why do we manufacture Natural Farm packaging in Brazil?

Producing our packaging where we source our meat is just another strategy we use to keep your dog healthy. Other dog chew products also come from South America, but not their packaging. This increases the risk of bacteria exposure and contamination in the shipping and handling process.  

Does Natural Farm’s Eco-friendly Packaging Go Bad or Expire? 

Sugarcane plastic is durable and food-safe. This means your dog’s treats will arrive undamaged and fresh. Sugarcane plastic is a form of plastic, which means it won’t degrade in light or leech into your dog’s 100% natural treats when stored correctly.  

Keeping your Natural Farms products in a cool, dry place ensures product stability and longevity. It also keeps your dog’s favorite treats fresh. 

Join Us In Our Mission to Protect the Planet 

We hope you will join us in our mission to keep dogs healthy while protecting the natural world we are lucky enough to enjoy with them. We promise to continually strive to reduce our carbon pawprints and maximize the good we do. 

Healthy pups need a healthy planet. Check out all the good we are doing here at Natural Farm.