5 Sustainable Packaging Swaps For 2020
In 2019, the conversation surrounding climate change became a regular feature in mainstream media and Australia grappled with a national recycling crisis following the introduction of China’s National Sword Policy. So how can foodservice brands make a positive difference this year? It could be as simple as changing your packaging.
Each year, 2.01 billion tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated around the globe (source). Sadly, much of this is not managed in an environmentally responsible manner.
Changing your foodservice packaging is an easy change that can make a big difference. With the rise of the conscious consumer actively seeking out more responsible brands and sustainable packaging solutions, it’s not only good for the planet – it’s good for business.
This makes one thing abundantly clear: as businesses, finding sustainable alternatives to conventional foodservice packaging is vital to securing a waste-free future and working towards a circular economy.
Here are five sustainable packaging swaps foodservice brands can make in 2020.
1. Plastic-lined coffee cups
One billion single-use coffee cups are thrown away every year in Australia alone (source). Their inner plastic lining prevents them from being recycled. Which means they inevitably end up in a landfill.
As a business, you can swap out coffee cups lined with conventional plastic for BioCups lined with Ingeo™ plant-based bioplastic – a material that is both industrially compostable (along with the rest of the cup) and emits 70% less carbon in its production than traditional plastic.
2. Plastic takeaway containers
Traditional plastic takeaway containers are made from finite fossil resources. They are useful for only a matter of minutes, before being disposed of into landfill and taking hundreds of years to break down. Your business can opt for BioCane takeaway containers made from bagasse (sugarcane pulp), which are compostable in 180 days, and made from reclaimed and rapidly renewable materials.
3. Polystyrene packaging
Polystyrene has long been a packaging staple in the foodservice industry. Yet, it contains toxic substances Styrene and Benzene and is not recycled in kerbside recycling (source). You can swap out polystyrene containers for BioBoard takeaway containers, which have the same shape and function but are instead made from The Forest Stewardship Council™ (License code FSC™ C110879) certified board sourced from responsibly managed forests.
4. Plastic straws and cutlery
Plastic straws and cutlery alike are made from plastic derived finite fossil resources, and are major contributors to ocean plastic and harm of marine wildlife. And when disposed of into landfill, they take hundreds of years to break down. BioStraws and Wood BioCutlery can replace both of these – and they are made from FSC certified paper & birchwood sourced from responsibly managed forests.
5. General waste
Did you know that food residue makes recycling unviable for used plastic takeaways? Or that food waste is the third-largest contributor to climate change? The good news: food residue on the packaging is not a problem for composting. Collecting organic waste and compostable packaging for composting means you’ll reduce waste to landfill which, in turn, reduces your carbon footprint as the creation of methane and leachate are avoided when organics are diverted from landfill to compost.
It’s never been easier to be a sustainable business
Making the change to compostable, sustainable packaging solutions is a smart move. It’s what consumers are increasingly demanding, and it is ultimately the right thing to do – for all our futures. And with sustainable swaps readily available, why not make 2020 the year you switch to packaging that puts the planet first.
Packaging that doesn't cost the earth
