PACKAGING
Sustainable
solutions Consumer perception, a far more competitive delivery and take-out market, together with the implications of waste packaging disposal taxes, are currently the forces at play when it comes to the increasing demand for sustainable packaging solutions. CONSUMER PERCEPTION “A recent Futerra survey showed that 88% of consumers want brands to help them be more sustainable, and many utilise their purchasing power as a way to make their mark, so as well as the right thing to do, it’s also a shrewd business decision to make sustainable changes within our own business,” says Louise Palmer Masterton of the vegan restaurant brand, Stem & Glory. “There are an estimated 32.5 million employees in the UK. Statista reports that the average adult will eat in a restaurant two to three times a month. If we generously assume that one of those visits is a visit to a restaurant at lunch time, that leaves another potential 8 billion other lunch opportunities. Statista also tells us that 39% of working people will buy lunch out of home twice a week; that is a whopping 1.3 billion lunches bought on the go in a year - or five million every single day. “The classic ‘meal deal’, for instance, has three or more items of single use packaging in just one lunch - that is potentially 15 million bits of single use packaging discarded in one single lunch time. Just in the UK. “Unfortunately, compostable packaging is not the answer. Compostable containers are widely made from virgin materials, which increase the carbon footprint of the product, and 44
do nothing to solve the issue of mass disposability. “We need a significant shift in mindset of both operators and customers to move away from accepting ‘mass disposability’ as the norm. Operators can make it easier for their customers to use reusable boxes and cups. Introduce discounts and incentives that offer financial incentives to go reusable. Make your take-away menu ‘lunch box’ friendly, for example. Introduce your own box/cup swap schemes. With the right amount of energy and support we can make mass disposability an occasional luxury rather than a day to day staple.” RECYCLABLE OR NOT? Whether you can recycle takeaway pizza boxes is a staggeringly frequently asked question on search engines, note packaging company, Kite Packaging. Typically, pizza boxes are made of corrugated card, one of the most widely recyclable materials there is, yet the presence of grease staining can cast doubt into consumer’s minds. The government advice is that food packaging, including pizza boxes, can be recycled after use provided that no free moving food waste remains on the
packaging. Surface staining, however, is acceptable for local collection. Kite say that their pizza boxes (main picture) are made from a sturdy corrugated kraft material designed to prevent grease and moisture from seeping through, hence keeping staining to the surface and aiding recyclability. Indeed, Kite’s pizza boxes feature green credentials at the start, and end, of their life, they point out. The paper is FSC certified which attests to its sustainable sourcing and after use, it is both recyclable and commercially compostable. This means that the material can naturally break down into harmless organic matter in a maximum of 90 days when in a compost environment. The resulting compounds can be used as fertiliser. As a method that actively benefits soil health, composting is often considered to be the gold standard of eco-friendly disposal. “In short, pizza boxes are recyclable as long as they are free from 3D food and residue; so no pizza slices, cheese or toppings present. Generally, they would need to be scraped clean,” agrees Jonathan Edmunds, recyclability & sustainability manager at packaging company, DS Smith. www.pizzapastamagazine.co.uk
