Ecoware Food Packaging

Officials want to ensure recycling sent overseas is reused—in a country with less infrastructure and ability to process this waste than we do.

Malaysia does not want our waste. The Malaysian environmental campaigner Pua Lay Peng implied in comments to 1news that it is illegal recycling facilities accepting this waste. The question we should be asking ourselves is, are the recyclers that we, as tax-payers and rate-payers pay hundreds of millions of dollars each year paying these illegal recyclers to take our waste?

If Aotearoa, New Zealand, has no viable end market for recyclable materials, how does Malaysia? And why would they pay for our waste, as the Waste and Recycling Industry Forum executive director Barney Irvine states?

A 2022 Mfe consultation document on transforming recycling estimates the recycling rate at 28%. Producer responsibility is practically non-existent—lobbying pressure delaying product stewardship scheme

An investigative series, “Waste is money”, produced by journalist Cécile Meier and published on BusinessDesk, found that 70% of cardboard and plastic recycling is shipped overseas, prompting readers to question how large sums of public money are spent.

What are your thoughts? The Ministry for the Environment is estimating an investment of between $2b and $3b to achieve a circular economy. How should that money be spent?



https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/06/10/officials-want-to-ensure-recycling-sent-overseas-is-reused/ #:~:text=It%20was%20estimated%20about%20a,going%20to%20Malaysia%20and%20Indonesia.

In a time of transition to a circular economy, the demand for sustainable strategy and investing in new materials is growing and expanding. In the article linked below, we share the company update from our PLA manufacturing partner, NatureWorks, who have attracted record financing to expand production of their PLA product Ingeo™. See the key takeaways below.

🌽 NatureWorks' new facility will open in 2025 with an annual capacity of 75,000 tonnes of Ingeo™️ to meet market demand across the Asia Pacific region. The sugarcane (PLA feedstock) will be sourced from farms within a 50-kilometre radius of the new factory.

📈 The bioplastics market size is roughly USD 10.94 billion, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of around 20.3% from 2024 to 2031, potentially reaching USD 39.89 billion by 2031​ (CMInsights)​.

🌐 At present, bioplastics represent roughly 0.5% of the over 400 million tonnes of plastic produced annually, but the industry is rapidly growing. And PLA is leading this new wave of materials (European Bioplastics).

♻️ Public demand for circular economies, increasing awareness of plastics toxicity combined with the EU plastics strategy and investors recognising the financial risks associated with plastics are driving the shift towards renewable products—100% biomaterials, which are truly circular.

📑 According to Planet Tracker, 731 new plastic pollution policies came into effect between 2012 and 2022 (more are to follow).

Is your business still using fossil fuel plastics? Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected] to discuss how our certified compostable packaging can reduce your consumption of toxic fossil fuels.

🔗 https://www.ecoware.co.nz/blogs/news/materials-shaping-the-future-pla

Materials shaping the future: Polymerised Lactic Acid (PLA) Plastic is a relatively new material, and while most of us consider plastic to be of fossil fuel origins, the term defines a materiality that can be easily shaped or moulded, and there are many other forms of plastic. PLA is one. In a time of transition to a circular economy, the demand for sustaina...

Using what is naturally abundant. Sugarcane, or bagasse, is a by-product of the sugarcane industry. It is what remains after crushing sugarcane stalks to extract their juice and is mainly fibrous materials such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin.

Using this agro-waste-based material for packaging solutions also diverts this leafy biomass from incineration or landfilling on the fields.

Highly durable and mouldable sugarcane offers an alternative to fossil-fuel packaging without compromising product features. We can meet current demands for convenience while removing fossil fuel single-use plastics from our environment.

Join us in using business as a tool for change. If your eatery, restaurant, food truck or takeaway joint is using PET or HDPE containers, get in touch at [email protected].

If your favourite takeout is delivered in plastic, let them know in the comments that there are alternatives.

#

Who today, as an adult, gets excited by a free lunch?

In 2021, we had the pleasure of visiting Manurewa High School, where students, in addition to school staff, were catering school lunches in-house as part of the Ka Ora, Ka Ako school lunch programme.

Beyond serving fellow students, the school lunch programme provided vocational training for students and pathways to employment directly from high school.

Students also learned about composting and were engaged in resource and waste management. Any leftover meals were taken at the end of the school day by students who wanted them.

What are your thoughts on the recent announcement to significantly reshape the programme for years 7 plus?

To save $107 million, the Government intends to use its considerable buyer power to procure a range of goods nationally, switching cooked lunches (what you see in France and Japan, both countries with better public health outcomes) for sandwiches and fruit.

BusinessDesk reported that the “smarter, cheaper” version of the programme is likely to include packaged foods such as tinned fruit, muesli bars, bread, and canned beans.

Who stands to benefit from these changes to the programme?

The companies producing these packaged foods. Foods that are largely packaged in single-use plastics. According to the NZ Packaging Council, we consume 735,000 tonnes of packaging and send 352,000 tonnes of waste to landfills each year.

$107 million in savings is dollars saved at the expense of many other things.

Interested to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Free school lunches scheme could include packaged foods The free school lunch programme will continue under the coalition government but looks set to undergo a revamp that may include packaged foods.

This month, we acknowledge our tenth year of certification under Toitū Envirocare, renewing our commitment as a Climate Positive Organisation. Ecoware was founded as a challenge to our industry. We believe in the power of the hospitality and food service industry to play a vital role in addressing fossil fuel plastic pollution.

This partnership with Toitū Envirocare ensures our efforts are audited and accurate. So, we continue measuring and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, guided by science-based targets, investing in emission avoidance projects, and offsetting our emissions by 125%, which will help us all hit our 2050 climate targets.

At the link below, we discuss how fossil fuel plastics contribute to emissions and share three pathways every business can take to reduce their impacts.

If you have ESG reporting commitments or want to remove fossil fuel packaging from your business, get in touch at [email protected]

https://www.ecoware.co.nz/blogs/news/renewing-our-commitment-as-a-climate-positive-organisation

Now very much in the swing of 2024, we’ve been thinking about what is to come 🔮 and what will shake up the industry 👇🏽 What do you think will define success in the coming months?

🤖 AI. With brands leveraging the technology both customer-facing (AI-based drive-thru) to back-of-house (optimising inventory management and demand forecasting to reduce waste), there is a lot of promise and potential for the right balance between digital and human interaction.

💳 No more dollar menus. The definition of value has changed as diners care not only about affordability and convenience but also great taste, placing value on an overall experience. So, while 2024 looks to remain a volatile economic environment, with continued investment in a full-service experience, guests will reward brands that solve the holistic value equation.

📈 The past year proved challenging with labour shortages, inflation and increasing commodity prices. Unemployment rates have wavered marginally, remaining below 4% since December 2023. The minimum wage mandated increase of March 2023, interest rate increases, plus disposable income outpacing inflation have all, to varying degrees, impacted business, yet globally, operators are entering 2024 with a positive outlook and appetite for dining out remains strong.

🛵 As food delivery apps erode margins, more restaurants will look to de-emphasise reliance on third-party providers, take back valuable data and their diner relationships by investing in integrated in-store and digital experiences, re-evaluating diluted or dated value propositions and re-focusing on relationships.

🌐 Environmental responsibility. An estimated 25% of all food waste sent to landfill comes from businesses—aproximately 75,000 tonnes today, rising to an estimated 100,000 tonnes by 2030. With recent plastic bans and the subsequent growth of compostable packaging in the marketplace, businesses need to have a better understanding of the issues, their role in the value chain and how collaboration is the key to everyone’s success and environmental protection.

What are your 2024 predictions? 🔮 Let us know in the comments.

Rules for declaring allergens in food changed this month. Has your business updated cabinet and menu labels? And have you communicated with staff about these changes?

Allergens must be declared on the label using names specified in the new code.

🌾 Wheat allergy is now distinct from gluten
🥜 Nine specified tree nuts must be declared instead of ‘nuts’ or ‘tree nuts’
🦐 Molluscs ( Mussels, Cockles, Clams, etc.) must be declared separately to Fish and Crustacea
🥡 Processing aids must be declared in the ingredients list if containing an allergen, such as sulphites
🌰 Allergens must be declared in bold within the ingredients list using the required name on retail products

It is best practice to have a resource for customers to use on request about allergens in your menu items.

For more information, visit: https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-business/labelling-composition-food-drinks/allergen-declarations-warnings-and-advisory-statements-on-food-labels/

This month, excerpts from a recent interview are featured in SupermarketNews NZ, discussing packaging design and labelling. Sustainability has been a driver of innovation in packaging design, and where we need to start if we are to reduce waste and minimise environmental harm.

The article also highlights how perceptions of food safety can be conveyed through materials, which is why Supermarket News initially approached us, as our straws use food-grade glue and soy-based inks, certified compostable under OK compost INDUSTRIAL (EN 13432) and home composting under OK compost HOME, certifications which impose restrictions on harmful additives.

Many people are unaware of how straw paper fibres are held together and how their resistance to liquid is achieved. Many of these glues and adhesives will have per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) added.

The article also speaks to end-of-life communications on packaging, which is highly relevant considering recent changes to recycling. Consider a food product packaged Low-Density Polyethylene ( #4). That company is now required to remove the chasing arrows symbol as this material is no longer considered recyclable in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

A lot to digest here. Head to the link below to read the full article on pages 33 and 34.

How do we minimise environmental harm and human health impacts?

What regulations are required? Start a conversation in the comments.

FEBRUARY 2024 Digital Archive21/02/2024 FEBRUARY 2024 Share on Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google + LinkedIn Email Previous articleJANUARY 2024 You may also like JANUARY 2024 BUYER’S GUIDE 2024 NOVEMBER 2023

👉🏽 Do you know about the changes to our recycling that came into effect February 1? Swipe across for a visual guide. These will impact your business.

If you want to send less waste to landfill and are yet to begin composting, at the link in our bio, select Compost Collect for more information.

AND, we want to hear from you? How are you reducing waste in your business? Let us know in the comments 👇🏽

2020 figures point out that commercial rubbish accounts for 86% of town landfills and therefore, the impact we can have as businesses is immense 🌍

♻️

Among the issues of convenience lies the question of how we package our food. When Uber Eats made cutlery opt-in, this signalled there was an environmental focus, and the recently announced $13 million fund and partnership with Planet Ark further reinforced the commitment.

For restaurant partners yet to transition away from fossil fuel plastic products, Uber Eats will look to accelerate the uptake of more sustainable packaging options here in Aotearoa, New Zealand and across Australia.

Uber Eats will also look to reward restaurants investing in sustainable packaging with increased platform visibility.

And now, with the Australian federal government regulating packaging standards, mandating how packaging is designed, setting minimum recycled requirements, and prohibiting harmful chemicals, it will also be interesting to see how industry and government work collectively to address current end-of-life challenges.

Are you on Uber Eats? Do you order delivery? Or not? Interested in your thoughts on this announcement.

Uber Eats Announce Sustainable Packaging Mandate - Restaurant & Café In a move towards a greener future, Uber Eats has announced a $13 million fund and multi-year partnership with sustainability businesses.

From February 1, new recycling rules are in place to standardise materials collected for recycling across the nation (excluding the four councils that do not recycle anything). Were you aware of the upcoming changes? And what are your thoughts regarding waste management in Aotearoa, New Zealand, more broadly?

The below is what will be accepted and not as of February 1.

District and city councils can only accept:
— Glass bottles and jars
— Paper and cardboard
— Plastic bottles, trays, and containers (grades 1, 2 and 5 only)
— Tin, steel and aluminium cans

New items excluded from 1 February 2024:
— Items less than 50 mm (e.g. caps, small cosmetic and spice containers)
— Aerosol cans (steel and aluminium)
— Liquid paperboard (beverage cartons and juice boxes, Tetra Pak, for example)
— Plastics 3, 4, 6 and 7
— Aluminium foil and trays
— All lids
— Items over 4 litres

For further information, check your local council website.

These photographs were taken at the Grey Lynn Farmers Market. Despite labelling and multiple bin stations, materials are disposed of wherever. The market organisers hand sort after each event for these materials to be collected and sent for recycling and composting.

“Organisations must take responsibility for their waste and also be aware of what happens once it leaves their building. They also need to make it as simple as possible for their teams to dispose of their waste responsibly and to educate and provide guidance where required.”

We had a chat with Sadie Keenan, corporate sustainability manager at PwC, to discuss the importance of landlord cooperation, waste audits and how working alongside Rubbish Direct and Method Recycling, they’re reducing waste to landfill.

Head to the link below to read the full interview.

https://www.ecoware.co.nz/blogs/news/how-pwc-is-changing-how-rubbish-is-managed-at-work

In case you missed it, please see below our order cut-off dates. The couriers are busy, so we recommend placing orders early so you don’t run out of packaging 🎅🏼

South Island – Wednesday 13th December
North Island – Monday 18th December
Auckland local – Monday 18th December

Friday, 22nd December. For same-day dispatch, submit your orders by 8:30 am. Orders submitted after 8:30 am will be dispatched on Wednesday 27th of December.

Friday 29th December. For same-day dispatch, submit your orders by 8:30 am. Orders submitted after 8:30 am will be dispatched on Wednesday 3rd of January.

Over the holidays, we remain open for business (with the exception of the public holidays), so you can still call us or place orders via our website 📦

Do you own and operate a food truck? As councils work towards climate pledges, reducing waste to landfill, event organisers are pushing their organic collections and mandating certified compostable products to optimise landfill diversion 👌

Do you have your packaging organised for the summer season? If not, our online store is open for you 24/7 🖥📱

Target delivery, 1-2 days for the North Island and 2-4 days for the South Island 📦📦 https://www.ecoware.co.nz/

Our latest release is this sugarcane lid. It has the same functionality as our other lids but without the PLA. For those of you after a paper solution, pair this lid with our certified flustix PLASTICFREE aqueous cup.

Both products are certified under OK Compost HOME and for commercial composting under EN13432 and ASTM D6400. Shop paper cups and lids on our web store 🖥️

https://www.ecoware.co.nz/collections/hot-paper-cups

Just a few days remain to support Movember! If you have yet to see our Mo-edition EcoCups around town, follow the link below to donate $5, $10 or $50. It all adds up. Every dollar raised funds for various men’s health projects, from mental health to prostate diagnosis 👉🏽 https://bit.ly/3QgtmcJ

The holidays and El Niño are coming, and it is going to be a hot summer! 🌊🍦The silly season is always frantic, so to ensure you are not caught short, please see our order deadlines below.

Friday, 22nd December:
For same-day dispatch, submit your orders by 8:30 am. Orders submitted after 8:30 am will be dispatched on Wednesday 27th of December.

Friday 29th December:
For same-day dispatch, submit your orders by 8:30 am. Orders submitted after 8:30 am will be dispatched on Wednesday 3rd of January.

Wednesday, 3rd January - Open for business as usual

Over the holidays, we remain open for business (with the exception of the public holidays), so you can still call us or place orders via our website 📦

Today, we are happy to announce the publication of our 2023 Impact Report. Want to learn more? Read the full Report here:

https://www.ecoware.co.nz/blogs/news/announcing-our-2023-impact-report

Highlights from the past year include:

- Achieved a reduction in the carbon intensity of our activities by 42% over the past three years despite high growth.

- Reduced road transportation from 25 to 13 metric tonnes of C02 emissions, embracing online technologies and supporting our team to work from home, so less transit and a greater work-life balance.

- Extending our partnerships with schools participating in the Ka Ora, Ka Ako School Lunch Programme, targetting composting and food waste reduction.

In 2021, we became the first Toitū climate positive certified organisation, and in this report, we bring in new elements to show our current actions, initiatives and ambitions relating to circularity and carbon planned to support this transition to circularity.

With an increased focus on waste and the removal of fossil fuel plastics from our eateries, venues, takeout and supermarkets, we acknowledge our industry is growing, and therefore, we recognise our responsibility within it.

Therefore, we must continue demonstrating waste-to-value alongside our partners, investing in and advocating for end-of-life solutions. We cannot wait for the mandating of what we know must happen now. Have you, will you join us?

A few extra millimetres for your boba pearls and super thick smoothies. Our new, larger paper straws are now online.

👉🏽 https://bit.ly/47hC3ec

Yesterday, we supported the Ponsonby Primary School annual fireworks fundraiser with certified compostable packaging for all their food vendors and hydration stations ☀️ There was so much food! A lot of smiles (and painted faces), and it was super to see so many families out and raising funds for their school.

We create packaging products that are healthier for us, our children and Mother Earth. Our packaging is made without oil (fossil fuels), materials known to have toxic effects. Ponsonby Primary, we hope you liked the food, water (and wine!) from our packaging a lot better 💚 and thank you for having us document some of the evening. It was a lot of fun.

How can we improve this situation? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Here, we have an organics collection that accepts compostable packaging, increasing total bio-waste diversion from landfills by recovering food scraps attached to food packaging. But, due to the high contamination levels, these bins now require hand sorting.

Last week, 1news visited a material recovery facility in Onehunga, which receives kerbside recycling from 500,000 Auckland households. The contamination rate is 25%. And looking at these photographs, it would appear much higher. Items contaminated with food waste are landfilled.

So why are we getting it wrong? Even with signage.

🌈 It’s starting to feel a LOT like Summer, which means more markets, fairs and festivals! But the best events will be closed-loop. That means your food scraps and packaging are disposed of and processed together into humus, nutrient-dense compost. We don’t need to be sending packaging and food to landfill!

So, are you booked for events this summer? ☀️ You can shop our full range via our website with your order shipped either that day (order cut-off is 12 pm) or when received after midday, dispatched the following day 📦

For more information on full-circle recovery solutions, please email us at [email protected].

Let’s close the loop on compostable packaging. Does your business serve compostable packaging on-site? Head to the link below to find out who can collect your food scraps and compostable packaging for composting 🪱

https://www.ecoware.co.nz/pages/collection-partners

We can draw down carbon emissions by taking responsibility for what we consume and ensuring food straps and other organic materials are composted, not landfilled.

When organic waste goes to landfill, it becomes a source of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Eliminating waste and reuse is the ideal, but where we cannot, let’s compost.

Do you, as a business, compost? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Please send your emails to [email protected]

Do you own and operate a food truck? 🚚 As councils seek to reduce their climate impact and reduce waste to landfill, event organisers are utilising organic collections and mandating certified compostable products to optimise landfill diversion 👌 This video demonstrates how. What events have you been impressed by recently? Let us know in the comments.

Kiwi festivals make sustainability the main act If you attended a music or food truck festival recently, you would have noticed various bins labelled with what goes where and an intent focus on composting. As councils seek to reduce their climate impact and reduce waste to landfill, event organisers are utilising organic collections and mandating...