Transparency is important to us so I wanted you to know why we have changed our containers 3 times in the last 2 months.
After 12 years we changed our containers to what I believed was better for the environment “magic plastic” PLA has been described as “planet friendly” & “guilt-free plastic”, but that is simply not true.
While placing an order for the PLA containers I stumbled across the company’s CO2 emissions report and they had a D rating. WTF!! So I read the fine print for the containers I was about to order and they were neither recyclable or home compostable. WTF x2 I had been sucked in to buying containers 4x the price by greenwashing algorithms.
“Greenwashing: disinformation disseminated by an organisation so as to present an environmentally responsible public image.”
Thinking we had strict enough regulations regarding businesses telling porky pies I never looked into the validity of this company’s environmental friendly facade or their products but I have now. PLA is only industrial compostable under limited conditions which is not a part of NZs regular waste management.
PLA contaminates recycling and takes 80+ years to biodegrade without the use of an industrial composter when disposed of in landfills PLA are more likely to produce methane, which is a greenhouse gas that is far more potent than carbon dioxide.
PLA should not be thrown into nature, into home composters, organic waste, or the recycling bin. The waste management infrastructure in NZ is not fit for purpose of PLA disposal, there are companies beginning to fill the gaps for businesses to send PLA to for disposal but there is no systems in place for the end users (our customers) to seperate out PLA and have it collected from home like our other rubbish.
PLA looks and feels like plastic, most people can not differentiate between bioplastics and conventional plastics. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) states in its most recent guidance that compostable plastics should be avoided where there is potential for them to contaminate conventional plastics recycling which I agree with and moving forward we will not use PLA packaging.
WHERE TO FROM HERE?
You’re all going to have to bring a bowl for your pudding… Nah jokes.
To help close the loop and increase sustainability we are in the process of investigating the potential for an actual environmental friendly container. In the meantime we have changed our containers to a PET or rPET Containers.
PET and rPET can go into your home recycling bin and they are sorted and taken to Lower Hutt for recycling into rPET. We believe this is the best solution for us for now.
Our bags and boxes are made from paper and are not PLA lined. And our spoons are uncoated wood.
The perfect solution may not yet exist, but we want you to know that we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment, and providing our customers with high quality, sustainable solutions that don’t cost the earth. ✌️