Be Green Packaging's compostable plates, bowls and other food containers made out of bulrush have earned Cradle-to-Cradle certification.

For two years, the company has made and distributed food packaging made out of bulrush, a perennial plant similar to cattails.

"It provides a high quality manufacturing materials that you can pulp and turn into paper-like products," said Ron Blitzer, Be Green's global marketing director and co-founder.

Be Green shipped 45 million units in the last year, and its containers are in supermarkets in 37 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. Along with plates, bowls and food containers, Be Green makes meat trays and clamshell packaging out of bulrush. The company is working on making bulrush-based ice cream tubs and one-time use paint trays, Blitzer said.

The products are made with bulrush only, are compostable and produced in facilities powered by hydroelectric energy. The items compost within 90 days in a home composting system, and 30 days in a commercial composting facility, Blitzer said, but it's unknown what happens to them in landfills.

Be Green's bulrush comes from China, Blitzer said, where it isn't cultivated, but instead harvested in the wild annually.

The packaging earned silver Cradle-to-Cradle status from MBDC, which considers materials, reutilization, social responsibility and energy and water use when certifying products.