Eco Tube FAQ

There is a 12 piece minimum ET6g (shown above); 12-2M Eco Tubes are available with a generic “green leaf” pattern or 6 gram lip balm size in kraft paper (brownish color). 1 Eco Tube = 1 tube body and 1 matching cap is a “set”; “M” = 1,000. If you wish to have your own artwork pre-printed onto the packages, a 2M minimum Eco Tubes can be ordered with up to 5 different artwork styles. Each style has a minimum order quantity of 400. For instance; 5 flavors x 400 Eco Tubes each flavor = 2,000 sets. Or, you can affix your label over the printed pattern. If you want to order more than 10M, please let us know, as pricing is considerably less once you reach this volume.

Green Leaf pattern or kraft paper 6 gram Eco Tubes (ET6g pictured above) is available 12-2M sets. Or, custom artwork for your own brand: 2M+ sets. Large volume pricing is also available, starting at a minimum of 10M 6 gram (.21 ounce) Eco Tubes. For all pricing Contact

Please Contact There is a 12 piece minimum order for generic Eco Tubes (green leaf design or kraft paper brown in the 6 gram size). We recommend that you test your product in them before committing to a custom artwork run of 2M Eco Tubes. Please let us know your estimated annual volume of sales when ordering samples.

Currently all Eco Vision samples are shipped from our dock located in Crescent City, California, USA. International shipment of samples can be relatively costly per unit. The least expensive way for you to receive samples is via the United States Postal Service (USPS). Unfortunately, the USPS does not provide tracking codes to track package delivery to other countries, so once the package is sent there is no way to track it. If you choose to have samples shipped via USPS, Eco Vision cannot be responsible if your samples are not received. A very reliable, but more expensive way to deliver samples is via Fed Ex. There are FedEx Great Rates that may apply to your region. Certain days of the week have ‘great rates’ for shipping and cost varies from day to day/week to week. Also, specific sized boxes make a cost difference for ‘great rates’. Please note, as with the international shipment of all things, larger volumes such as pallet loads cost much less per unit to ship.Contact to see if Great Rates ships to your region and applies to your needs.

CMYK CA approved water based inks.

PMS: Pantone Matching System enables consistent color output and colors with extra vibrancy. These special mix colors are not available.

Some crafters put the tubes in modeling clay or dried rice to hold them upright while filling and use a large capacity syringe or pour. We have instructions for making filling racks and molds for those who have general construction skills. For more details, please email or you can purchase filling trays from us for our 6 gram (.21 ounce) Eco Tubes.

We sure do! please email if you would like to order filling trays for our 6 gram (.21 ounce) Eco Tubes.

Use a paper towel to remove any spillage. The exterior of the Eco Tube is grease resistant, but not grease proof, discoloration may occur. We recommend you develop artwork that conveys your brand’s message that incorporates color-texture to give your finished product the best finished appearance.

Some consumers report up to a year of daily use in purse or pocket. Putting an Eco Tube into a pants pocket with keys, then sitting can crush or dent the package. Eco Tubes will withstand some water, but keep in mind it’s a biodegradable package.

We have home composted empty Eco Tubes and they have fully composted within 14 days. Composting conditions will affect the necessary time. Eco Tubes have been tested to withstand hot oil filling up to 150 degrees F, or 66 degrees C.

In a healthy compost garden, about 2 weeks depending on the weather.

Yes,please emailfor an estimate.

The tubes are produced in the cleanest conditions possible for handmade production, though we don’t use chemical poisons or irradiation to make the package sterile. Since the package is intended for non-water containing products, the lack of water prevents the growth of harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. Be aware that the package is intended to be compostable and extremely sustainable. Therefore, when the package is exposed to conditions more than a short while that support bacteria and other microorganisms, such as plenty of water and warmth, they will begin eating the package. Remember, all members of the life cycle present food opportunities to others. Nevertheless, when used as intended, the Eco Tube does not pose health hazards.

If an Eco Tube is left in a hot car, the contents will melt the same as if it was in a plastic package. Just place it in an upright position and wait until it solidifies. When cool, use as usual.

No. It stays tight with normal usage.

When a user handles the package briefly with wet hands, little or no damage will occur if the package is allowed to dry; if the package left out in the rain or in a puddle of water, it will begin to decompose.

Kraft paper - cardboard color - doesn’t perform up to our standards and shows filling overflows more than patterned paper.

They are currently available in 3 sizes; .21 oz, 1 oz and 2.2 oz

From the time that your graphic file is sent to our commercial printer to the finished goods leaving Crescent City, CA it generally takes 5 weeks. However, delays can occur with graphic changes, color changes, holidays or production schedules.

Type “adhesive labels” into google.

We don’t recommend using labels over the Eco Tubes except for short term market research. Most commercially available self-adhesive labels use non-compostable adhesives and some are plastic coated. Non-coated, water activated adhesive labels are best if you can find them. We recommend using the greenest label you can find and scaling up to use the pre-printed ones with our own custom artwork.

A 2” x 4” Avery label can be affixed to the Eco Tube. The adhesive label doesn’t wrap under the cap; otherwise the tolerances are too tight. Be careful when trimming the edge of the pinched end of the Eco Tube after wrapping; a leak might result. See the picture below for affixing the label:

We make our own casein based adhesive/glaze to keep the compostability paramount. Other tubes like the Push-Up tube use "non-toxic" adhesive. There exists no official legal characterization for the term "non-toxic" primarily due to the absence of strict regulatory frameworks governing its usage within the United States. The US Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, which exercises authority over a comprehensive range of more than 80,000 industrial chemicals, serves as a partial reference in this regard. It is important to note that the scope of the TSCA is limited, as it does not extend its jurisdiction to encompass domains such as food, cosmetics, personal care items, pesticides, or pharmaceuticals.

We have been searching long and hard for a vegan adhesive that doesn’t contain plastic or toxins that is also fully home-compostable. We have even created and tested our own vegan adhesives. Unfortunately, none of the vegan adhesives we created worked well enough to be used in our packaging. Believe it or not, many of the vegan products that vegans purchase are packaged in bottles or jars on which the labels are affixed with PVA chemical glues. As our products can be put directly into the ground or a compost bin after use, we do not want to create a product that will add toxic elements to our soils. If you know of any vegan adhesives that do not contain plastics or toxins that are also fully home-compostable, please Contact We have been in contact with a company planning to manufacture animal-free casein, but they are not yet ready to sell their product commercially.

Paper, < 4% casein adhesive glaze and ink.

100% PCW paper (FSC certified). 100% Post Consumer Waste (PCW) is waste paper that has served its intended purpose and has been separated from solid waste to be recycled into new paper. This is what currently goes to the recycling center. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was created to change the dialogue about and the practice of sustainable forestry worldwide. This impressive goal has in many ways been achieved, yet there is more work to be done. FSC sets forth principles, criteria, and standards that span economic, social, and environmental concerns. The FSC standards represent the world's strongest system for guiding forest management toward sustainable outcomes. Like the forestry profession itself, the FSC system includes stakeholders with a diverse array of perspectives on what represents a well-managed and sustainable forest. While the discussion continues, the FSC standards for forest management have now been applied in over 57 countries around the world.

Preliminary questions can be asked of Eco Vision Prepress. The look and feel of your brand will need to be designed by your own graphic designer. For the most part, there are no extra charges necessary. However, extensive help will incur charges, which are explained in the introductory email, when you receive the template. A good working knowledge of Adobe Illustrator is advisable.

Low production volume and the Eco Tubes ordered in lower volumes are manufactured by hand in Crescent City, California. If you are interested in ordering over 10M Eco Tubes in one order, our prices are considerably lower due to our automation machine for higher volumes only.

Consumers easily recognize paper as being sustainable and recyclable. This differentiates and benefits your brand instantly on the shelf. For small brands, this “marketing by the piece” is an excellent and immediate form of advertising.

Eco Vision, with its sister company, Organic Essence can provide turn-key package making and filling services for conventional and USDA Certified Organic lip balms. Please Contact for a quote.

Six digit lot numbers are available. For example 210924 which would represent 21, Sept. 2024 and also doubles up as the use by date. Your product may not have a 3 year shelf life, or you may choose your date stamp to be your own code. Whatever the case, six digits are available.

On the cap. There is a mapped out area for the date stamp placement on the .ai graphic template.

Yes. When you have decided to order, Contact and Eco Vision prepress will email the templates to you.

Yes. Eco Tubes weigh 40% less than traditional plastic lip balm containers. We can ship from Europe in volumes over 10M units.

Bring/send/ the Eco Tubes to a Point of Purchase Display Company and they’ll design one to your price range and needs.

There are returns on unused green leaf pattern or kraft paper tubes in pristine quality. However, printed tubes with your artwork are a custom order and there are no returns. For more details on our return policy, please go here:

Yes. Please email

At this time, we are not allowing pickups at our manufacturing facility.

Currently, we haven’t certified to GMP for the food industry needs. In the near future, we will have packaging available and will be compliant with food quality production procedures.

We recommend you test our products to see if they work with your powdered ingredients.

There is no widely recognized home compostability certification. Most compostability standards have to do with composting plastic. I We’re using FSC certified paper, though FSC won’t allow us to get certification because we only use one type of paper. We have not yet certified the Eco Tubes as home-compostable, but have done testing at our office.

Please contact us with your idea and we’ll discuss.. Please bear in mind that high MOQs will apply.

We recommend putting the Eco Tube on a counter and pressing down with the palm of the hand near the pinched end to dispense the deodorant. With the lip balms, we recommend warming the lip balm for 15-30 seconds with your hands, and then the lip balm should come out without difficulty.

Currently, all orders are shipped Ex Works, Crescent City, California. With 6 gram (.21 ounce Eco Tubes), in quantities above 10M, the Eco Tubes are shipped from Germany.

Printing is CMYK. No PMS colors. You can’t provide your own ink.

Solid color backgrounds should be avoided. The lip balm design should have a background pattern for the following reasons: 1)Normal package manufacturing production marks 2)Overfilling discoloration on exterior of package 3)Wear and tear – package appearance during consumer use

Yes, we do. Here is more information: https://ecovisionpackaging.com/contract-manufacturing/

Yes. We do. Here is more information: https://ecovisionpackaging.com/private-label/

Paper friction alone keeps the cap on the Eco Tube.

As long as the cap is on your lip balm or deodorant and the packaging is not damaged, you should be fine. Merely allow the product to solidify at a cooler temperature before removing the cap.

Yes, we have sold many Eco Tubes to companies in Europe, and have provided sufficient information to them.

The paper used for manufacturing Eco Tubes is a specialty paper that works well with the process. We tested multiple papers over the years and have found 1 specific paper that suits all the needs.