ROCKLIN, CALIF. — Campfire Treats announced Dec. 14 it has fully transitioned to 100% biodegradable and fully recyclable shipping materials along its pet treat supply chain.

Plastic is a key obstacle in the pet food packaging space, with multi-layer materials making most flexible pet food and treat bags unrecyclable in the current infrastructure. This not only includes pet food packages themselves, but also shipping materials such as bubble wrap, sealing tape and shipping labels, Campfire Treats stated.

“With our expanding business, we became increasingly frustrated about the amount of waste we were creating when sending out deliveries to our customers,” said Marko Wittich, president and co-founder of Campfire Treats.

This spurred the company’s transition from plastic to paper-based shipping and packing materials, including kraft paper, corrugated cardboard boxes, plastic-free tape and shipping labels that do not contain silicone-based liners. Eliminating plastic from its shipping materials has allowed Campfire Treats to move to 100% biodegradable and fully recyclable secondary packaging.

“Environmentally friendly shipping materials are no compromise,” Wittich said. “Their product protection characteristics are outstanding and the materials are no more expensive than plastic-based solutions. Everything is commercially available. There is really no excuse for any direct-to-consumer business to keep using shipping materials containing plastic.”

Although a “small step” for one company, Campfire Treats said it hopes to inspire other industry members to follow suit. The company stated it will continue to make sustainable improvements across its value chain, including sourcing ethically raised meat ingredients and reducing the environmental impact of its primary product packaging.

“We may not be able to change the entire $40+ billion pet food industry, but every little step counts to protect our planet,” Wittich concluded.

Read more about sustainability in the pet food and treat industry.