Frequently Asked Questions

Vegware is headquartered in Edinburgh, UK with further operational bases in the UK, US, Hong Kong and Australia as well as a logistics hub in The Netherlands

We sell to 70 countries and have distribution throughout the UK, Europe, the Middle East, US, South America and the Caribbean.

We have a wealth of information available online. To learn more about composting, please read our  Composting FAQs  and visit our About pages.  Information on our plant-based materials and products can be found on our Catalogue pages  and the Products FAQs. 

Vegware is made from plants using renewable^[3] materials. We use a variety of plant-based^[1] materials – visit  Our materials page for more information.

Vegware is certified food safe. Relevant certifications are available upon request.

We encourage customers to request product samples, as each kitchen is different, so samples allow you to test Vegware with your menu offerings and see how they work in your ovens, microwaves, refrigerators and freezers. Products that are Vegware-approved for a commercial kitchen appliance, such as hot cabinets, are referenced in the product's description.

Our products are made from plants using renewable^[3] materials. We use synthetic glues to bind our materials and have confirmation, through our product quality and compliance approval process, that they do not contain animal by-products.

Do not store Vegware near heat – for example not in direct sunlight or near an oven or radiator. Vegware is best stored at temperatures not more than 40°C.

Vegware is a global brand, operating across a range of markets. As such, our supply chain is spread across a range of territories.

Generally speaking, Vegware products have a shelf life of up to one year.

For website orders, Vegware can only ship directly to addresses within Belgium, Luxembourg or The Netherlands for the time being. For all other regions, and parts of the world, please get in touch with our Customer Service team who can advise on a distributor in your region whom you can purchase products from: sales.europe@vegware.com. 

If you are interested in becoming a distributor, please contact our Sales team: sales.europe@vegware.com.

Please refer to our Online orders page.

Unfortunately, once processed and confirmed by the Vegware Customer Service team, orders cannot be amended.

If you are sending an order via email, please make sure that it is correct and final wherever possible and that your quantities are in units of cases or packs to avoid confusion.

Additions to an order can be made by raising a new order, which may be subject to an additional shipping charge where applicable. Where possible, we will try to minimise shipping costs and packaging materials by consolidating orders into single cartons and or single deliveries.

Customers are entitled to return goods – other than printed or bespoke products – to receive a refund or credit on the sum paid, and we require a specific process and timeframe be followed – please refer to our Online orders page for further information.

Should you notice that you have received an incorrect item after receipt of the delivery parcel or pallets, please do report them to us by the end of the day you receive the goods: sales.europe@vegware.com. Vegware will not be liable for non-delivery of goods unless written notice is given within this timeframe.

Should any shortages or damages appear after receipt of the delivery parcel or pallets, please do report them to us by the end of the day you receive the goods: sales.europe@vegware.com. Vegware will not be liable for non-delivery of goods unless written notice is given within the timeframes advised above.

Any quality concerns should be sent to our Customer Service team at sales.europe@vegware.com. Please include the below information in your email:

• Product code (including associated products such as lids, pots, etc)
• Original order number
• Batch numbers (printed on the outer case, with prefix VEGW)
• Clear explanation of the potential fault including usage
• Quantity affected
• Photo or video of the fault
• Requested action and / or outcome

We will aim to respond to the initial email within 4 working hours of receipt and, once all required information has been gathered, we shall create a plan for further investigation with an agreed upon timeline for updates and actions.

Please refer to the individual product page to find details on the product and case dimensions.

Vegware holds the deepest set of compostability certification in the sector – you can learn more in the  Our materials section on our About page. If you are seeking further details for specific products please contact our Customer Service team: sales.europe@vegware.com.

When it comes to packaging designed for serving food, recycling can be challenging. Foodservice packaging may be made from recyclable materials, but once it becomes contaminated with food, it is often unsuitable for recycling. Food waste is a contaminant in dry mixed recycling streams, and the risk of contamination is one reason many waste collectors do not accept foodservice packaging for recycling.

This is where compostables work well. Compostable foodservice packaging is designed to be collected alongside food waste and processed together in industrial composting facilities. There's no need to wash packaging in a busy foodservice environment, as any leftover food becomes part of the composting process.

An added benefit is that collecting food waste and compostables together can help keep dry recycling streams to be cleaner and easier to recycle. Compostability is not the best solution for every product. For example, Vegware would not make a compostable water bottle because PET bottles already have a well-established recycling infrastructure. However, for food-contaminated disposables, compostability can be a practical and effective end-of-life solution.

Composting is officially recognised as a form of recycling that turns waste into a valuable resource. By processing food waste and compostable packaging locally, composting helps keep resources in the region and supports a more circular economy.

The resulting compost is used in agriculture, horticulture and landscaping to improve soil health. It returns valuable nutrients and organic matter to the soil, improving soil structure, water retention and plant growth.

Healthy soils also play an important environmental role. They can store carbon, support biodiversity and help reduce surface water runoff, which may lower flood risk. With soil health declining in many parts of the UK, compost provides a practical way to return organic matter to the land and help restore soil quality.

Some Vegware products are certified as home compostable. This means they have been tested to break down in a well-managed home composting system without the high temperatures used in industrial composting facilities.

However, home composting is not an exact science. How quickly a product breaks down will depend on factors such as temperature, moisture, aeration and the overall management of the compost heap. While certified home compostable products can typically break down within around a year under suitable conditions, successful composting requires the right conditions and a degree of composting know-how.

For guidance on home composting, visit How to set up home composting on Recycle Now.

Yes! While Vegware products are designed for composting where suitable infrastructure exists, there are also benefits at the production stage.

Vegware packaging is made from renewable, recycled or reclaimed materials, using plant-based biomass rather than fossil-based resources. This means the raw materials can be replenished over time, unlike conventional plastics made from finite fossil resources.

The world's resources are finite, and disposable packaging is typically used for only a short period of time. Using renewable materials for suitable applications can help reduce reliance on virgin fossil resources, reserving conventional plastics for uses where alternatives are not yet practical.

Many of Vegware's fibre-based products can be recycled if clean of food residues, where accepted. When this isn't possible, and for non-fibre products, the best option is general waste. This avoids any risk of contamination to material for recycling.

General waste is often treated through energy from waste where our materials (such as PLA) burn cleaner with fewer volatile gases produced than burning fossil plastic. Please do not litter – compostable packaging is not expected to break down when discarded in the environment and is not a solution to marine pollution.

Composting works well for closed environments where Vegware products are used and captured onsite.

Vegware works with commercial waste collection partners to enable us to support customers to compost their Vegware after use. We can advise on a range of solutions, from regular collections and post-back services to on-site composting.

Our Environmental team can help identify the most suitable option based on your location, waste volumes and operational needs. We will help fully embed the system using our 5 Steps to Compost process. To explore your options, get in touch.

Yes. As with all Vegware, our custom print products can be commercially composted where accepted.

We need your logo and any additional text and artwork elements you may want included. We ideally require these in a vector format, however, depending on the product, we may be able to use high resolution jpegs (300dpi or higher). Please include instructions if you have a specific idea in mind for your artwork.

If you order through one of our distributor partners, please send this information directly to them.

Our Creative team will spend up to an hour on a custom print request and, if needed, can amend the design based on your feedback. Over and above this first free hour, we will charge a flat rate for each additional amendment.

We will send you a digital proof of your artwork so that you can approve the colours, sizing and positioning before it goes to print.

We ask that you provide CMYK values or Pantones codes to ensure colours come out as you expect. These values will also be stated on the digital proof so that you can sign off on them.

Please refer to our Pantones vs CMYK guidance sheet.

We can print on either matt or gloss board, depending on your preference. Matt board is slightly textured and is similar in finish to recycled paper. Gloss board is smooth and shiny, ideal if you want your colours to be more vivid.

All of our products are printed using vegetable or water-based inks, and the finish is great.

Yes! If you would like to design your own custom printed products and have access to Adobe software, please get in touch so that we can supply you with the correct templates and guidelines.

If you order through one of our distributor partners, please contact them directly for this information.

If you are providing your own artwork, we accept Adobe Illustrator (.ai), editable .pdfs or .eps files.

Timing varies based on the product, design and quantity ordered. Please contact our Customer Service team on sales.europe@vegware.com who can provide a more detailed timeline.