Plant-Based Packaging Shows Your Commitment to Sustainability

Plant-Based Packaging Shows Your Commitment to Sustainability

You might suspect that environmentally-conscious products would have an impact on your bottom line, but you might not know how significant the impact. According to a recent Nielsen study, 55% of consumers would pay more for products that they felt were positively impacting the environment.

This suggests, of course, that diners would not only seek out a foodservice company that used green products, but also that they would pay more for these products. According to Amy Fenton, Nielsen’s global leader of public development and sustainability, “Consumers around the world are saying loud and clear that a brand’s social purpose is among the factors that influence purchase decisions.”

With such a powerful call for social responsibility from consumers, there are ample reasons to adopt more environmentally-conscious practices in your business. One simple, impactful decision is replacing traditional paper or plastic dishware with Greenware®, a renewable line of plates, cups, dishware and to-go boxes, made entirely from plants.

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Why Greenware?

Consumers are likely to go out of their way to find establishments that implement green solutions into their practices. Patrons seek out businesses that use green packaging; specifically, 50% of patrons surveyed in a study would visit an establishment more often if it used Greenware for its food packaging.

Even more compelling, 88% of consumers surveyed would be interested in using Greenware in an eatery, while 84% would improve their conception of an eatery if that establishment used Greenware packaging. These statistics indicate what a positive impact this kind of packaging can have on a business’s reputation.

How is Greenware different from other eco-friendly packaging products?

Greenware is “annually renewable,” meaning that all the ingredients required to make the product can be regrown in a single year. This fully-renewable product is constructed from Polylactide, or “PLA," made of a lactic acid made from fermented dextrose. In turn, dextrose is made from entirely transparent plant ingredients, including corn.

Perhaps the product’s most notable feature, though, is its compostability in an industrial compost facility – not in a backyard compost pile. These facilities create ideal composting conditions using temperature, moisture and soil turning that will turn convert Greenware back into a natural product that can be reused to grow new plants. The cyclicality of Greenware – made from plants and used to grow more plants – is what makes it so enticing to eco-minded foodservice companies.

Ultimately, Greenware products can be fully composted within 50 days at a professional composting facility, which are located around the country.

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How does Greenware fit into Environmental Standard Compliance?

Adopting Greenware for your business can also contribute to initiatives outlined by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for adoption by 2022. The industry notes that the United States was at the bottom of a list of industrialized nations for its recycling – 35% of all waste produced in 2013. According to the agency, around 30% (75 million tons) of all waste generated is containers and packaging.

With this idea in mind, the EPA plans to implement more stringent policies for sustainable packaging recycling by 2022 and is considering policies that include “supportive policies, practices and incentives; alignment of measurement systems, metrics, and benchmarking; and transparency of secondary materials markets and end users.” Greenware lets foodservice companies fit into the EPA’s objectives for better recycling of materials, thus putting them ahead of the curve in terms of meeting regulations and/or incentives likely to be put into place by the EPA.

How will customers know I’m using renewable packaging?

Greenware can be printed with its stock print option – a visible, blue-and-green logo that highlights the word “Greenware” on the packaging. If you’d prefer your own company logo printed on the packaging instead, you could choose to send a clear message about the environmental-friendliness of your packaging.

The benefits of Greenware

It’s no secret that the foodservice industry only becomes more and more competitive. In a 2018 article, Forbes noted that 60,000 new eateries opened each year. With 50,000 restaurants closing annually, this means that there are somewhere around 10,000 new options for diners each year.

With so much competition, differentiate your establishment in a way that compels diners: eco-friendly products. Unlike other products that might mislead or misinform about the green status of their merchandise, Greenware packaging comes with a “No Greenwashing Pledge” – a promise to provide users with accurate and complete information. In turn, you can build credibility with your customers by demonstrating your commitment to sustainability in all aspects of your establishment, even your packaging. Check out all our eco-friendly food packaging.

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