Sustainability

Glass Jar Return Program

 

2024 marks a significant step forward for us—we are now accepting returns of our empty nut butter jars! This has been in the works for a long time, as our goal has always been to operate as sustainably as possible. Now, we have everything in place to make this a reality, from sourcing easily removable labels to organizing the return process.

We appreciate your help in making this initiative a success. To return your jars, please follow these steps:

1. Thoroughly clean the jar. While we will further clean and sanitize the jars upon return, sending them back already cleaned makes our job much easier.

2. Remove the label. In 2024, we are gradually transitioning to new labels that can be easily removed after soaking in hot water for an hour or washing in the dishwasher at 70°C. For vinyl (plastic) labels, simply peel them off. We can only accept jars with labels completely removed. Please note that the label on the lid cannot be soaked off, but that’s okay.

3. Once you’ve collected at least 10 jars, email us at info@mendula.hu with your address, and we’ll arrange a courier pickup.
   IMPORTANT! Wrap each jar securely to prevent breakage during shipping. If the jars break in transit, we won’t be able to accept them. You can also return the lids, but it’s not mandatory.

4. You can return fewer than 10 jars, but in that case, we won’t be able to cover the shipping costs.

5. Once we receive your jars, we’ll send you a 100 Ft discount coupon per jar, which you can use on your next purchase.

We hope this system makes it easy and worthwhile for you to return your jars, helping us reduce waste together. Even if you simply reuse the jars yourself—perhaps for homemade jams—thanks to the easily removable labels, we’ve already achieved our goal!

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to email us at info@mendula.hu! 

 

Biodegradable Packaging
 

After years of development and experimentation, we have finally reached the point where we can ship some of our products in biodegradable packaging. This allows us to significantly reduce both our products’ and our company’s ecological footprint.

From the very beginning, we have prioritized using recyclable packaging materials and collecting waste selectively. Wherever possible, we opt for paper and glass instead of plastic. However, we have always aimed to find an environmentally friendly alternative to replace plastic packaging as well.

Finding the right solution was not easy. Packaging for granola needs to meet several essential criteria:

• It must preserve the product’s crunchiness, meaning it cannot be air-permeable (which rules out paper packaging).
• It must be thick enough to prevent the crunchy granola pieces from tearing through.
• Most importantly, it must be made of food-safe material.

We had many discussions with manufacturers who often didn’t understand our request. More than once, we were told that the material we were looking for simply didn’t exist. We tested several compostable materials, but none met all the necessary criteria simultaneously.

Then, a breakthrough came with a new development from a domestic manufacturer: we became the test subjects, the first in Hungary to experiment with this industrially compostable pouch. We found a version that kept the granola crispy while meeting all our other requirements. We researched the topic thoroughly—we didn’t want to invest in a solution that only appears eco-friendly but is actually worse than plastic. What convinced us in the end was that this industrially compostable pouch decomposes even under normal conditions (when disposed of in regular household waste, not in recycling bins). Over time, it breaks down into biomass, CO₂, and water, just at a slower rate than in industrial composting facilities. Most importantly, it does not leave behind microplastics.

For this project to be successful, we also need your support! Our biodegradable packaging only preserves the product’s crispness and quality for the duration of shipping (3–4 days). It is not suitable for long-term storage. To keep your granola fresh, transfer it into an airtight glass jar or container as soon as possible.

It is also very important to remember that this is NOT PLASTIC—do not dispose of the bag in plastic recycling bins, as it will contaminate the recyclable plastics and reduce the effectiveness of the recycling process. Instead, simply throw it into the regular household waste or take it to an industrial composting facility.

From now on, our granolas will also be available in 1 kg packages, certified with the TÜV Austria OK Compost Industrial label.

Zero-Waste Packaging

In recent years, an increasing number of zero-waste stores have approached us, expressing interest in selling our products. The most straightforward solution initially was using plastic buckets, since (as explained earlier) paper packaging was not an option—it would soften quickly and compromise the granola’s texture.

However, this system only worked well for stores close to Budapest, where we could personally deliver and exchange the buckets. For rural stores, where we had to ship the products via courier, we had to use large cardboard boxes and excessive packaging materials to protect the contents. This completely defeated the purpose of zero-waste packaging. On top of that, the plastic buckets eventually wore out or broke (often during shipping), generating significant plastic waste.

For these stores, the biodegradable pouch proved to be a fantastic solution! It takes up minimal space, fits into much smaller boxes, and fully decomposes over time—allowing us to provide a truly sustainable alternative.