Frequently asked questions

Bagasse is the fibrous residue left after sugarcane is crushed for juice — India crushes ~370 million tonnes of cane a year and produces ~100 million tonnes of bagasse as a byproduct. Historically it's burned to fuel sugar mills; pulping and moulding it into tableware turns an agricultural waste stream into a single-use disposable that returns to soil in 60–90 days. It's the only common disposable tableware material in India that's genuinely compostable AND PFAS-free AND microwave-safe.

Yes — our manufacturers specify microwave reheating at 700–1000 W for up to 3 minutes. Please don't use bagasse in a conventional oven unless the product page says otherwise. Oil and water are fine for the duration of a meal.

Our bagasse products are PFAS-free per our manufacturers' test reports. Some bagasse products on the market use PFAS-based additives for oil resistance; we source from manufacturers whose test reports show their products are PFAS-free. PulpyWare doesn't run its own lab tests — ask us and we'll request the manufacturer's test report for the products you're buying (support@pulpyware.in).

No — the GSM grades on each category are tuned for Indian oily snacks. Our manufacturers specify oil resistance for the length of a meal. For gravy-heavy dishes that pool (curry, dal, biryani), pick the Deep variants on plates or the leakproof containers (rated for 4-hour standing-water, 1-hour standing-oil with the matching bagasse lid).

Bagasse pulp doesn't mould reliably at the thin, rigid cross-section of a fork tine or knife edge. Food-grade paper at 800 GSM (from FSC-certified mills, per our manufacturer) does — and it's compostable, with no plastic film. We disclose the material upfront because anti-greenwashing means no one should buy 'bagasse cutlery' by accident. The four cutlery SKUs are clearly marked as paper across the catalogue.

Yes — bagasse is plain plant fibre, and our manufacturing partners hold BPI compostability certification (ASTM D6868; varies by manufacturer and product line). In commercial composting it typically breaks down in about 90 days (manufacturer data); in a home compost bin it takes longer and depends on moisture, heat and turning. Don't toss it in landfill — segregate organics at source.

PE-coated paper looks like paper but has a thin polyethylene plastic film for oil resistance. The paper rots; the plastic persists as microplastic. It can't be recycled (lined paper isn't accepted in most Indian MRFs), and many use PFAS for grease repellency. Bagasse is single-material — sugarcane fibre, no lining, no film, no PFAS. The full comparison is on every category landing page.

Every PulpyWare order ships in paper-wrapped products inside a recyclable mono-material kraft carton. No shrink-wrap, no polybag, no plastic handle, no plastic tape. We're fully compliant with India's Single-Use Plastic ban (1 July 2022). The wrap and carton can both go into your dry-waste recycling stream.

Every coefficient — grams of plastic displaced per plate, litres of water saved vs virgin pulp, kilograms of CO₂ avoided — is documented at /sustainability/#methodology. Numbers are sourced from published standards and data, FAO water-use data for virgin tissue pulp (~90,000 L per ton), and PE-plate carbon-footprint baselines. The homepage and account dashboards sum across real completed orders — not marketing estimates.

2–4 business days to metros (Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad), 4–6 days to tier-2 cities, 5–8 days to tier-3 and rural PIN codes, and 6–10 days to remote regions (North-East, J&K, Ladakh, A&N Islands, Lakshadweep). Bagasse isn't a dangerous good (no UN class), so we're eligible for air courier via Shiprocket — a meaningfully better delivery window than most large-pack disposables in India.

Free shipping on D2C orders ≥ ₹999 (GST inclusive). For HORECA verified accounts, shipping is free on every order regardless of cart total — apply at /wholesale/.

Yes — for signed-in customers (retail and HORECA) on orders up to ₹1,500, in serviceable PIN codes (most of India's metro and tier-2 territory), with no COD fee. Larger orders and guest checkouts use prepaid checkout via Razorpay (UPI, all major cards, Net Banking, wallets). HORECA accounts use NET-15 invoice terms after their first clean cycle.

7 days from delivery for unopened, undamaged packs — full refund to the original payment method within 5–7 business days of pickup. Damaged or defective packs are replaced or refunded immediately. Custom-printed HORECA orders aren't returnable. Full policy at /refunds/.

Yes. Verified HORECA accounts see a flat ~20% off D2C list across all 11 categories with free shipping on every order and NET-15 invoice terms after the first clean cycle. Every invoice is GST-compliant with your buyer GSTIN for input-tax credit. Apply at /wholesale/ — 24-hour admin review, no MOQ, the discount applies from order 1.

Submit the 2-minute application form with your GSTIN — we verify it against the GST portal for validity and trade-name match. Typically 4-8 hours during business days (10:00–19:00 IST, Mon–Sat); worst case 24 hours. You'll get an approval email and your account flag is set automatically. Log out + back in to see HORECA pricing in checkout.

For orders of 10,000+ pieces per artwork we run custom-printed bagasse with your logo on a 3-4 week lead time. Common requests: cloud-kitchen branded thali trays, café-branded 80 mm cup lids, restaurant-branded clamshells. Setup is a one-time die fee; per-unit cost adds ₹0.50–₹1.50 depending on format. Email support@pulpyware.in with artwork and quantity.

Bagasse moulded-pulp tableware is classified under HSN 4823 at 18% GST — confirmed for moulded sugarcane-pulp serving products (plates, bowls, clamshells, meal trays, containers, cups). Paper cutlery may sit under a different HSN per supplier classification; we're surfacing the final HSN per SKU as CA sign-off lands. Every invoice is CGST Rule 46 compliant.

Yes — every invoice carries your company's GSTIN if provided at checkout (D2C) or at HORECA application. We're CGST Rule 46 compliant on every invoice from day one. For HORECA accounts the GSTIN is captured once at application and applied automatically on every subsequent order.

Yes — PulpyWare bagasse tableware is the kind of replacement India's 1 July 2022 single-use-plastic notification was designed to enable. It's a compostable, single-material alternative to the banned plastic plates, cups, bowls and cutlery, made by manufacturing partners certified for food contact. On request we can ask the manufacturer for the relevant documents for your products.