Plastic. We have to start living without it.
Plastic. We have to start living without it.
Back in the 1950s, plastic was hailed as a fantastic new product – useful in so many ways – especially in the home. We’ve probably got to thank Mr Tupper from the USA for his innovative plastic Tupperware boxes, which started a revolution in handy containers for keeping food fresh. The fact that many of us still have Tupperware boxes in our kitchen cupboards proves just how resilient and indestructible plastic is. And that’s the problem.
In the last 70 years the world’s population has trebled, but its plastics’ use has increased more than 200 times – from 1.5 billion tons to over 320 billion tons. Worse still, this figure is set to double again in the next 15 years if we don’t do something to address it.
Not only is plastic waste ugly (it’s estimated that every mile of beach in the UK is littered with 150 discarded plastic bottles) it’s dangerous – even when after many years it has broken down into macro & micro plastics. Studies reveal that there are around 5.25 trillion tiny particles of plastic floating in the open ocean, which can be ingested by marine life.
What is Total Foodservice doing about reducing plastic consumption?
As a family run, independent business, the environment we work and live in has always been important to us. Sustainability is our watch word and our aim is to minimise environmental impact from not only plastics but harsh chemicals too.
Our ethos of creating an environmentally friendly workplace extends to the product ranges we source too, so we’ve been working hard to develop a range of quality, sustainable, cost-effective, environmentally responsible disposables and cleaning products.
Our range of disposables has been sourced to minimise impact on the environment. Not only do products meet internationally recognised standards and accreditations for being either compostable, biodegradable or recyclable into new products, many are also made from sustainable sources such as wood fibre sourced from FSC certified forests or they are manufactured from recycled content that includes a high percentage of recycled material.
In addition we’ve sourced a high percentage of these products from British manufacturers so they’re not being transported from the other side of the world and adding to global carbon emissions.
We’ve also introduced a range of disposable plates and boxes made from bagasse, a 100% natural and sustainable material. This is a fantastic use for a by-product of the sugar industry, previously viewed as waste and usually burned as fuel. Basically bagasse is the residual fibre (mainly cellulose and derivatives) left after the sugar canes have been squeezed. It’s the perfect product for disposable plates and trays because it’s sturdy, can tolerate temperatures from -25°C to 220°C, it’s water and grease-repellent and totally biodegradable and compostable.
What can you do?
If, like us, you’re keen to reduce your impact on the environment, please have a chat with your Total Foodservice rep for more information on our huge range of Environmentally Responsible disposables.
Together we can help save the planet!
