Revolutionizing Packaging: A WildKind Journey Through Our First Year and Beyond

I. Product Updates

Our product changes, in addition to our company values, are guided by the question, “How can we make the most convenient choice for our customers and their consumers to dispose of their packaging be, at the same time, the best option for the planet?”

While we started the year with fully compostable pouches and their zippers, we felt this was insufficient. As a result, we introduced compostable degassing valves in our pouch options, tailor-made for coffee enthusiasts and craft coffee roasters who care about the planet. 

We added three new standard sizes, including one for mailing, another for the cannabis industry, and our extra-large Stand Up pouch. These sizes signify a substantial expansion for us into the e-commerce and cannabis industries. We've diligently sought high-barrier films from new suppliers, a hallmark of our offerings to ensure your products stay fresh and dry.

II. Website Transformation

Our online shopping experience underwent significant upgrades this year. Have you explored our latest addition, the 'In the Wild' page? This dedicated hub showcases customer case studies and authentic depictions of our products in their natural environments.

The ordering process received a streamlined makeover, ensuring effortless pouch customization. Our revamped site emphasizes the user, granting customers unparalleled visibility into their packaging choices. For those who create custom designs outside our tools, those files can now be easily uploaded. We're all about empowering brand creativity.

III. Sustainability Information

In 2023, our first year of operation, we took a close look at our environmental impact. By offering compostable alternatives to traditional plastic packaging, we successfully diverted a substantial 8,000 pounds (4 tons) of plastic from the natural ecosystem. This translates to over 200,000 pouches that would otherwise negatively impact nature through introductions of PFAS or microplastic particles.

Recognizing that tackling the issue of packaging requires collaboration, we joined the Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) at the beginning of the year. The SPC has been a fantastic way to integrate with other businesses making sustainable choices while fortifying our capacity to navigate new and ever-evolving regulatory frameworks throughout the country.

As with any production process, there will inevitably be waste during setup and manufacturing. Knowing this, we collaborated with a local industrial composter, Break It Down Austin, to ensure all in-house production waste gets fully composted—a pivotal step toward closing the sustainability loop, ensuring a harmonious relationship with our planet.

IV. Customer Highlights

This year, we had the pleasure of working with some incredible partners.


onewith swim:
Teaming up with onewith swim was a lot of fun. Hayley, the founder, sought eco-friendly packaging for her e-commerce-based swimsuit brand without breaking the bank. We worked with her on custom-sized pouches for her to deliver her swimwear to customers. She praised us for delivering responsiveness, fair pricing, and lightning-fast shipping. Hayley loved our eco-friendly, customizable solution, ordering repeatedly, and looking forward to further pouch iterations! This collaboration also led us to develop two of our new standard-size offerings - to be used as mailers for e-commerce-based businesses.

The Conscious Pet:
Our collaboration with The Conscious Pet rocked! We fell in love with Jessica’s brand, which upcycles food that would otherwise be discarded. Through a special process, the Conscious Pet can make delicious and nutritious pet treats and meal toppers for all of our furry friends. As the business is scaling up, Jessica needed a partner for smaller orders without compromising sustainability or cost. We stepped in, providing large stand-up pouches for her pup's treats. Reasonable pricing, flexibility in quantities, and our lightning-fast turnaround time impressed Jessica. We’re excited to see this business grow - it’s healthy for furry friends and the planet - what’s not to love?

You can read the full case studies here!

V. Looking Ahead to 2024

We've learned a lot this year about the journey companies need to take to lessen their environmental impact. As part of our core value for Helpful progress, small changes add up to one big impact—for others, the planet, and ourselves. Progress is the goal, not perfection.

In that aim, starting in the new year, we've decided to extend certified recyclable material options for businesses to take a step on the sustainable journey without breaking their unit economics. While we hope that the majority of our partners continue to lean into our compostable offerings, we understand that sometimes cost will be the primary driver in making packaging decisions. However, even in those situations, we know we can make recyclable options as competitive or more competitive in price than traditional, non-recyclable plastics.

We're not going to stop continuously working on the supply chain for compostable materials. Our goal is to reduce their costs to be more in line with what many businesses expect or require for their cost structures (and we have a lot of hope that we'll be able to achieve this). In the meantime, we want to build partnerships with businesses to move their products to choices that reflect their intentions to make the world a better place. In the long term, we expect this will be heavily in favor of compostable packaging.

To continue the push for compostable packaging, one of the most impactful ways we think we can make a difference in driving change for the packaging industry is through our involvement in understanding and petitioning for regulatory changes. As such, we're going to be joining a steering committee for eco-modulation and packaging regulation alongside other members of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition starting in January 2024. This is an exciting opportunity and an honor that we'll be able to serve in any capacity to educate ourselves and others on these important topics.

VI. Other Exciting Plans for 2024

- Work is underway for our standard metalized pouches (including zippers) to utilize all certified home compostable materials.
- New film options are on the horizon for thicker, more tear-resistant, and higher barrier White and Metallized compostable films.
- New standard sizes for helping with standard coffee quantities (looking at you, 1 lb bags).
- We've experimented with a Soft-Touch matte finish this year, and although it mostly worked, there needed to be some adjustments for full commercialization. We're excited to get this launched early next year.
- Send-back programs are an essential part of recapturing compostable (and recyclable) materials. We're in conversations with a few associations to make this easier for our customers to participate in next year.
- More Austin, Texas facility tours! We've been lucky to host several facility tours throughout the year to show people how we manufacture their compostable packaging. We'd like to build on that interest to do more tours next year. If this is something you're interested in, we'll have a signup coming online soon so you can stay informed of when those tours will take place. Of course, if you happen to be in Austin, TX for any reason and want to stop by, let us know.


Thank you all for being on this journey with us. One year down and many more to go. Help us get the word out to anyone you know about the work we’re doing and have them join the Packaging Revolution with us. We can make a difference, together. Happy Holidays, we’ll see you all again in 2024!