Why
A bag is a small thing.
A trillion of them isn’t.
The problem
The world makes about five trillion plastic bags each year. Less than one percent are recycled. The rest end up in landfills, oceans, and — increasingly — in food, water, and human tissue, broken down into microplastic fragments small enough to enter a bloodstream.
For decades the answer to single-use plastic has been “use less of it”. We agree. We also think there’s a parallel answer: when something must be single-use — a grocery bag, a mailer, a food pouch — it should be made from a material that returns to the earth instead of poisoning it.
The material
Our compound is built from two main inputs. The first is a plant-derived starch — pressed from cassava and corn, both grown on land that doesn’t compete with food crops. The second is PBAT, a fully biodegradable polyester developed specifically for compostable packaging. Together they make a film that behaves like conventional plastic at the till and breaks down like a leaf in the compost.
We don’t use polyethylene. We don’t use PVC. We don’t use additives that make a bag “claim” to degrade by simply fragmenting into smaller plastic pieces. The list of what isn’t in our bags is, in some ways, the most important thing about them.
From soil to soil
The full life of a Ground Up bag.
Designed and certified to close the loop in under a year — and to leave nothing behind.
- 01 Season
Begins in a field
Cassava and corn starch are pressed from crops grown on land that doesn't compete with food. No fossil feedstock, no virgin polymer.
- 02 Days
Becomes a bag
The starch is compounded with PBAT — a fully biodegradable polyester — extruded into film and converted into the shape you'll hold.
- 03 Weeks
Carries your day
Use it like any other bag. It holds groceries, mail, scraps, the same way. The difference shows up at the end.
- 04 90 days
Returns to soil
Composted at home or in an industrial facility, it breaks down into water, CO₂ and biomass. No microplastics. No trace.
Proof
Independently certified.
Not just claimed.
Every Ground Up product is tested and certified by recognised third parties. These are the marks you can look for on every bag we ship.
-
Biodegradable Products Institute
BPI Certified
Verified by BPI
Independent US certification confirming compostability in industrial composting facilities. The mark accepted by municipal organics programs across North America.
-
ASTM International
ASTM D6400
Industrial compostability
The North American specification for plastics designed to compost in municipal and industrial facilities — the standard BPI certification is verified against.
-
TÜV Austria
OK Compost HOME
Home composting
Tested to break down completely in the cooler, slower conditions of a backyard compost heap — not just industrial facilities.
-
European Standard
EN 13432
European compostability
The European benchmark for compostable packaging: at least 90% disintegration in 12 weeks and 90% biodegradation in 6 months.
Common questions
Honest answers,
no hedging.
01 What does "home compostable" actually mean? +
It means the bag will break down completely in the cooler, less stable conditions of a back-garden compost heap — not just an industrial facility. We certify to the TÜV Austria OK Compost HOME standard, which sets specific temperature, time and disintegration thresholds.
02 Are these bags biodegradable or compostable? +
Both, but compostable is the stricter term. Biodegradable just means "will eventually break down" — a process that can take decades and leave microplastics behind. Compostable means it breaks down to water, CO₂ and biomass within a defined window, with no toxic residue.
03 Will the bag fall apart on the shelf? +
No. Compost only starts the breakdown process when the material is in contact with moisture, heat and microbial activity — i.e. an active compost stream. Stored in a cupboard, a Ground Up bag stays stable for at least a year.
04 What materials are inside? +
A compound of plant-derived starch (cassava and corn) plus PBAT, a fully biodegradable polyester. No PE, no PVC, no PET. The exact ratios vary slightly between product families, optimized for the strength each one needs.
05 Can I put these in my municipal organics bin? +
In most US cities that accept certified compostable bags, yes — look for the BPI Certified mark on the program guidelines. Acceptance varies by municipality and is steadily expanding as composting infrastructure catches up.