When it comes to plastics in single-use food packaging, there is only one scientifically valid solution supported by the US EPA, international NGOs, and emerging science: Reduce, reduce, reduce! We have reduced the plastic weight in our latest package by 90% while aligning with the 2025 goals of the U.S. Plastics Pact, a global pollution reduction roadmap recognized by over 900 leading retailers, brands, NGOs, and government agencies. The package also contains 91% responsibly-sourced bio-based content that can be recycled in most of North America.

Paper from well-managed forests is a bio-based, renewable, recyclable resource. Plastic is derived from fossil fuels and is known to enter the environment through different unintended pathways. Recycling alone is not sufficient to reduce the volume of plastic entering the environment. There is scientific consensus that we must reduce plastic production and consumption in order to protect human health and biodiversity.

Recyclability varies by location, so we always recommend checking your local guidelines first, but most places in North America will accept paperboard material in their curbside recycling programs. Many retailers also offer store drop-off for plastic film recycling. For more information, visit https://search.earth911.com/ or check to see if your city offers recycling instructions on the RecycleCoach app, which offers a free “What Goes Where” tool.

Remove the top seal film and tear the tray liner away from the side panels by starting at a corner. Remove the liner from the bottom panel last. And that’s it! Paperboard and film components are now ready for recycling or disposal.

Our previous clamshell container, while made from #1 PET, was a thermoformed plastic container. In practice, only about 10% of thermoformed PET gets recycled into new products, even if it is “accepted” by a curbside program. Paper, however, is the most recycled material in North America and about 66% of recycled paper in the U.S. become new products.


We studied access to curbside composting programs across the markets we serve and found that most consumers would not be able to take advantage of this feature today. Additionally, home or municipally compostable films do not provide the same level of structural integrity needed to maintain the quality of our products. We are always looking to do better and will continue to look for innovations to further improve the footprint and circularity of our packaging.

Shelf life and quality are of utmost importance to us here at Sensei Farms, which is why we put our packaging to the test. Our testing showed that our paperboard packaging performed no differently than its PET predecessor. You can expect the same quality and freshness, but now without all the plastic.

We recognize our responsibility as a producer to do better for our planet, so we are making the investments to make those right choices. Significant changes like these, however, do take time, but we decided not to delay, choosing instead to reduce our plastic consumption by making our paperboard packaging available in select varieties. We hope to update all our products to paperboard packaging in the near future, so stay tuned and follow our journey at @senseifarms.hi

We love hearing from our customers! Get in touch directly by sending us a message at hello@senseifarms.com or completing the contact form on our Contact page.