Oshman says that “probably the most exciting resource out there is garbage.
“It’s local and it’s right there” he says. “Recycling is our preferred option.”
US Huhtamaki Foodservice, Inc. uses 100-percent post-industrial or post-consumer recycled fibers to make its Chinet, Serviceware, and Strongholder lines of molded packaging and serving ware, says Jim Lammert, the company’s foodservice and marketing manager for its fiber products. Chinet is made from recycled milk carton stock, the scraps that remain from the die-cutting process. Rough-molded white Serviceware cup holders, trays, bowls, plates, molded pizza circles, and other products are made from recovered newsprint, processed without chlorine. And rough-molded, gray or beige Strongholder, often used for carrier trays, comes recycled and re-pulped post-consumer newspaper.
Chipotle serves its burrito bowls and salads in containers made from recycled newspaper, says Arnold. Napkins are made of unbleached, recycled paper, and the company’s bags have recycled content.
This year, Starbucks debuted a coffee cup with 10-percent post-consumer fiber content (“high-grade office paper”), developed in conjunction with suppliers Mississippi River Corporation, MeadWestvaco, and Solo Cup Company. The cup took more than three years to perfect and receive Food and Drug Administration (FDS) approval.
Although there is a cost premium associated with the cups, they fit into the company’s “history of environmental performance,” says Starbucks global brand communications representative Andy Fouché. “This transition will reduce our purchase of new tree fiber by more than five million pounds,” he continues.
Next on the Starbucks agenda is the replacement of its current pastry bags with ones made with 20-percent PCF in the first quarter. The company will also implement quantitative materials assessment tools from the Environmental and Natural Resources Policy and Training Project (epat) and Sustainable Packaging Coalition to help guide future purchasing decisions.
About 100 cities throughout the U.S., including Berkeley, California; Portland, Oregon; and, most recently, Oakland, California, have voted to ban the use of Styrofoam. Eighteen months ago, Paradise Bakery & Café, which operates 42 locations in 10 states, took the initiative to switch to foam-free, insulated paper cups made with a minimum of 12 percent post-consumer recycled fiber.
The EcoSmart Cup from Vernalis, California–based Insulair has a triple-wall design—the middle layer contains 99-percent recycled paper—to keep beverages hot or cold 26 percent (about 17 minutes) longer than standard paper cups and eliminates the need for double cupping or protective outer heat sleeves.
“This cup is seamless and maintains the clean and true taste of our premium coffee,” says Paradise Bakery & Café director of corporate affairs Louie Kizis. “And we can keep our customers’ hands safe from excessive heat without covering up our logo with an outer sleeve.”
O’Naturals, an all-natural and organic food-to-go concept with four locations in Massachusetts and Maine, prides itself on using environmentally-friendly building materials, such as salvage wood for trim and agricultural waste products for paneling, high-density fluorescent lighting, and other water- and energy-saving initiatives. The company has examined “hundreds of options” for its packaging, says company COO Jay Friedlander. “Some things have been more successful than others and the best for us has been the unbleached wax paper wrap we use for our sandwiches,” Friedlander says.
The wrap is printed with soybean-based ink to allow for more effective decomposition in composting facilities. Though O’Natural’s goal is to use all compostable materials, not all products on the market passed muster. Utensils made from potato starch, for example, had dull tines or broke and left a powdery feel in the mouth. “Our customers are certainly interested in the packaging we use and they perceive environmentally friendly materials to be a bonus when all of the other pieces line up,” Friedlander says. “But if we package our carrot ginger soup in a container that leaks all over their nice cars or suits, they wouldn’t be pleased.”