MyEcoBag is a producer of compostable packaging and has been supplying compostable bin liners and pet waste bags to Australians for over a decade. Over the past six years, the company says it has sold 500 million compostable bags globally, which equates to approximately 3.3 million kilograms of conventional plastic.
MyEcoBag claims its products are also fast to compost, taking about 90 days to fully break down when composted, leaving no microplastics or toxic residue due to being made with GMO-free corn and other compostable materials.
Richard Tegoni, an early-stage investor in the biopolymer industry, was instrumental in taking the company from a small startup to becoming a global player in compostable products and technology. Unlike most other suppliers in the Australian market, MyEcoBag is Australian-owned and operated, from its ideas and designs through to its technology, formulations and materials.
MyEcoBag’s compostable bin liner bags can be found in major Australian grocery stores (Coles & Woolworths), and they account for 35 per cent of compostable bags sold nationwide. Globally, its range of certified compostable products is gaining momentum and can be found in 20 countries, with the USA the company’s biggest growth market – doubling in size in the last financial year alone.
Locally, the MyEcoBag compostable products have achieved over 140 per cent growth in FY23 compared to the previous year. Pivotal to the company's growth in Australia has been the Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) program rollout, with MyEcoBag bin liners now the leading choice for councils. The adoption of the brand’s products in these programs has led to an increased revenue of 74 per cent since late 2022.
“Through the FOGO program and our relationship with councils, data has shown that when households use compostable bin liners, it increases the separation of food waste by as much as 32 per cent,” said Tegoni, CEO and executive director SECOS Group Limited, the group which owns MyEcoBag.
“The beauty of compostable bags is they contribute to a circular economy; when properly composted, the result is new, nutrient-rich soil to help grow plants, therefore generating something new, whereas alternatives such as dissolvable bags don’t contribute to the circular economy – food needs to compost with worms, air and soil.”
Looking forward, the brand is developing new materials with faster compost timeframes and higher renewable content, in addition to materials that come from agriculture and food waste materials in production. Also being explored is a compostable high barrier film for the food industry suitable for things such as pouches and sachets.
“If we make everything compostable, we will effectively fix the conventional plastic problem. The new problem will be making sure we have enough composting capacity to deal with all this compostable plastic, but that is a much easier problem to solve over time than it is to solve the conventional plastic problem, which can never be solved,” he concluded.
