frequently asked questions FAQ

Compostable packaging contributes to a better environment. Our products are made from renewable (biobased) materiaal, these products prevent the dependence on fossil sources, reduce damaging carbon dioxide (CO2) and contribute to the reduction of plastic waste.

Yes, a big amount of our products comply with the European standard for industrial compostability according to EN13432. Due to the costly certification process, products made from certain raw materials like wood and bamboo are not certified. These natural raw materials are compostable already. Are you curious whether your products are certified according to the European standard for compostability? Please contact us!

Plastic packaging often can't be recycled properly into food packaging. This can be caused by: the color of plastics which can't be detected by sorting installations, the bonding of different layers of plastic which can't be separated from eachother , the food safety requirements of food packaging (new plastic is always needed for production) or because the price of new plastic is lower than the price of recycled plastic. So there is only limited demand for recycled plastic. This unfortunately leads to less recycling of plastic and huge unusable plastic waste that sometimes are even shipped to other countries, where it ends up in third world countries and it leads to environmental pollution.

Unfortunately, it is not immediately the case that products that meets the European standard for industrial compostability are actually allowed to be thrown in the green organic waste container. Waste processors in the Netherlands can decide for themselves whether they allow food packaging in their process or not. Many waste processors compost or ferment in a shorter time than the European standard. Waste processors claimed that compostable packaging takes longer time to compost and larger pieces are left behind in the compost. This claim appears to be unfounded after a published study from 'Wageningen Food & Biobased Research. Based on all the findings, researchers can conclude that compostable plastics which comply with the European Standard EN13432 degrade quick enough in the Dutch green waste processing.

Another objection from waste processors is that they fear of pollution from fossil (regular) plastic waste, customers can't distinguish fossil plastics from compostable plastics. At last, waste processors want to make high quality compost for farmers and they are skeptical in what way compostable plastics would improve compost.

There are benefits of compostable packaging if Dutch waste processors accept compostable packaging in the green waste containers on a larger scale. Most packaging will compost quick enough and any remaining packaging which is not completely composted can be re-introduced into the composting process together with slowly digestible organic waste such as remains of branches, leaves or paper. This reduces the residual waste flow and increases the amount of usable biomass. You can also enrich the produced compost by collecting green waste together with compostable packaging from catering companies, schools and restaurants in the food service sector. At the moment this hardly happens and huge amounts of biomass is lost. In our opinion, the Dutch waste processors or the government (or a combination) should invest in filtering any fossil plastics from the organic waste.

Even though there is an increasing amount of compostable packaging, the dutch waste processors don't want our packaging in the green waste container. In addition to the compostable character, our packaging also have environmental benefits in the biobased character, even when you throw the packaging in the regular waste container which will be burned.

With a disintegration test we can investigate the physical disintegration (fragmentation) of the product during the composting phase. Products certified to the European standard for industrial compostability must decompose within 12 weeks. A recent study by the 'Wageningen Food & Biobased Research shows that many of our products compost much faster, for example: PLA compost within the regular Dutch composting cycle of 11 days. Read the complete research here.

Unfortunately compostable packaging is not an immediate solution for litter. A large part of the packaging only degrades in controlled optimal conditions or need a considerable time in nature to degrade by themselves. In contrast to regular plastic packaging, compostable packaging eventually degrades into carbon dioxide and water. This prevents microplastics ending up in the foodchain.

Our products are made of environmentally friendly and renewable raw materials such as palm leaf, sugar cane and PLA (cornstarch). At every product page we show from which raw material a product is made. A total overview of our raw materials can be found here.

Biobased raw materials are often available in the region of the production facility and do not compete with the food supply. As shown in the illustration below, only 0.02% of world's agriculture land is used to grow crops intended for the production of raw material for our packaging.

Each product has its own material properties, which means that not every product is suitable for every application. At every single product page we show if the product is suitable for the oven or microwave, you can find this info at the information tab. Most of the articles also show it's with pros and cons. If you still have a question about the heat resistance, please contact our customer care for more information.

Yes, it is possible to personalize products. Products that can be personalized are indicated with a button and information about personalization of that particular product. It is also possible to immediately request a quote for the minimum order quantity (MOQ). More information can be found on our personalization page.

There is a showroom where you can see all of our products. Natureko is an office and wharehouse, so before you want to visite our showroom please contact us to arrange a visit for our showroom. One of our colleagues will reserve some time to show our products while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Yes, it is possible to receive samples of desired products, this is a great way to see and test them first. Samples can be ordered here, all you need to do is order the sample article and place a comment during the order process. Please note the article numbers of the desired articles in the comment. Samples are free, we only charge shipping costs. The shipping costs can be deducted on a new order.

Orders placed before 13:30 can be shipped on the same day for expected delivery on the next business day. During the order process you can select a desired delivery date. Please note: we try our best to deliver your order at the desired date, but we can't guarantee it will be delivered on that specific day or time. There is always a possibility that shipments are delayed, caused by traffic or unexpected events.

Orders are handed over to our carriers around 17:00, after this you will receive an email from the carrier which contains a track & trace link to track your order. Please note: this is an indication.

Orders for private use and small business orders will be delivered by PostNL. Business orders send on a EU pallet will be delivered by Bode Scholten/Transmission.

It is possible to pick-up your order at our warehouse in Waddinxveen during opening hours. If you want to pick-up your order on the same day, please contact our customer service to discuss the options.

Shipping costs of €6,99 (orders to €150) or €12,99 will be charged to orders below €300,- (excl. VAT), shipped to adresses in the Netherlands. Orders below €300,- (excl. VAT) shipped to adresses in Belgium will be charged with €9,99 (orders to €150) or €14,99 (orders to €300). If you place an order above €300,- (excl. VAT), shipping will be free.

Orders can be returned within 14 days after purchase, but products must be complete, unopend and undamaged. Sale items can't be returned. The shipping costs for your return are at your own expense. Once your return order has been processed we will refund the purchase amount of the returned goods to the bank account which is used for payment.

Before returning your order, we kindly ask you to register your return via our return register form.

When your return is processed and there is no further action needed, we will make a refund. This might take 2 to 3 business days.

Do you have a complaint about one of our products? Please contact us by phone, we will take care of this complaint and if possible, we will try to find the solution immediately.

Yes, it is possible for consumers to order products in our webshop. Payments can be done with our payment provider Multisafepay. As a consumer it is recommended to use our one step checkout function. You can also create an account in our webshop, this will help you order quicker the next time.

Yes, it is possible to pay by invoice as a business customer. You can request a business account within your account: my account > account information. Your request will be processed and after approval you will be able to pay by invoice, this option appears automaticcaly at the payment options. We will grant a credit, in case you exceed credit we might have to put new orders on hold until payments are done.

Would you like to resell our products as a wholesaler? Please contact our sales department.

Click on 'create an account' at the green bar in the top of the screen.

After filling in all of the data, click on 'create an account'. Your account wil be created immediately and you can start using order lists.

Did you forget your password? Click on 'sign in' in the green bar at the top of the screen, a new field apears to fill in your credentials. Click on 'forgot your password' to get a new password.

Fill in your emailadress (and reCAPTCHA) and click on 'reset my password'.

An automatically generated link will be send to your mail which you can use to set up a new password. Haven't received an email to change your password? Please contact our customer service.

You can easily use an order list when logged in. Your order lists can be found within your account, my account > my product lists or at the right top in the green bar. Articles can be imported to your product lists from an article page, the selected quantity then will be added to the selected list.

Select a desired product list to add the articles. If there is no list yet, you can create a new one immediately. If you want to add the sleeve and carton quantities to the list, please add them both to the list. It is also possible to add products to your list from the category view. Just click the product list icon below the green button 'add to cart'.

Are you a business or foreign customer? Please register for an account upgrade to a business account. You can take advantage of:

- Pay by invoice

- Payment term: 14 days

- Standard credit limit of €250 (higher credit possible, contact our customer care)

- Order tax-free (available for foreign customers with a valid VAT-number)

Step 1: Go to my account > account information

Step 2: Click on the 'I would like to pay by invoice' button

Step 3: Fill in the data and click on 'send'

After your data is submitted, your account will be judged. A notification will be send once your account has been upgraded to a business account. At that moment you will be able to pay by invoice, until then you can always place orders and pay with our other payment methods.