Fast-food chains: 9 steps to making the switch to sustainable packaging

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Food packaging such as takeout containers are an easy and accessible way to make food safe, reliable, shelf-stable and clean.

Unfortunately, most food packaging is single use and cannot be recycled. This contributes to the plastic waste in the landfills and also ends up in the water systems around us. Because so much food packaging (especially plastic) has ended up in waterways, the United Nations has declared the plastic pollution of oceans “a planetary crisis.”

There are other environmental impacts from food packaging as well, including to our air and soil. While it may be hard to find unpackaged food, opportunities to choose packaging that is less harmful to animals, people and the environment do exist. Naji Haddad, MENA General Manager at Deliverect, lists the steps to switching to environmentally friendly packaging material that can be easily adopted by and adapted for the restaurant and food industry.

1. Identify applicable sustainable packaging solutions
The good news is that restaurant owners can try several sustainable packaging options. Some of them are as old as the hills, like paper and card, and are affordable to make and recyclable. (But, any waterproofing added may complicate this–check with your local recycling facilities.)

Paper isn’t the universal answer. The other (and far better) route is to encourage reuse. Again, this is a tried-and-tested path: Indians have enjoyed tiffin tins’ benefits for hundreds of years.

If a culture has become used to throwaway packaging, it can be a tricky shift to make. It’s challenging but not impossible.

2. Look at the change in packaging around you

You’ll no doubt have seen the rise in reusable coffee cups. Now enormously popular, they were overwhelmingly plastic when they first appeared. What’s more, other materials are currently being explored.

For instance, if we use reusable cups made from a sustainable material such as bamboo, so much the better. Disposable cartons are often now made from plant-based and degradable plastics

3. Assess according to cost-effectiveness and practicality
Some materials will never work out due to being too expensive or unsuited to the task. For instance, 100 per cent organic linen bags are great for the environment, but they will cost a business a great deal to use across their food operation. They’re also not ideal for liquids.

Consider the cost of disposing of single-use plastics in financial calculations. Not just the cost to the planet but the cost to the business when stricter regulations inevitably come into play. It makes sense to be ahead of the statutory curve rather than frantically trying to catch up.

4. Seek viable partnerships with vendors offering sustainable options
Have a look at what other vendors are doing in your operational area. Have they got some new but reusable takeout packaging ideas going on?
Perhaps they have a deposit scheme that incentivises bottle or container return, for instance. If so, connect with them and see how to start a delivery operation together.

5. Ensure compliance with functionality and safety standards
Of course, any eco-friendly packaging solutions need to comply with relevant standards. So, when assessing packaging alternatives, please look at the local authority’s compliance credentials. It shouldn’t surprise anybody that food packaging has to be safe. There needs to be evidence of testing to ensure no hazardous materials are within.

6. Educate customers and staff about the eco-friendly transition
Education is crucial in raising awareness about the environment and climate change. Information on a restaurant’s website and in advertising will help people understand why things must change. Staff also have an essential role here, so they’re clued up and on side.

With higher staff involvement, you can also look at reducing waste in other areas of your business. It has become increasingly common for restaurants to go paper-free by using online systems, like online billing software that eliminates paper records to kitchen management systems and handheld order-taking devices that reduce errors and the need for paper.

7. Provide clear instructions for recycling and composting
This one’s easy. Restaurants can put instructions on the side or the bottom of the packaging. Perhaps also have delivery drivers mention to customers that the packaging is recyclable or compostable.

Again, don’t take the nagging route here. It’s important to get the tone right. We’re all in this together, and nobody’s judging.

8. Continuously explore new and innovative sustainable options
It’s important to keep an eye on developments to stay relevant. Things are changing very fast in the eco-friendly and reusable takeout packaging sphere. There may be more affordable alternatives present themselves, which will mean good news for the planet and your bottom line.

Of course, new materials will often mean new manufacturing processes and new manufacturing software systems, and these costs may be initially passed on to restaurant owners. But remember that many of these processes will gradually become the industry standard, meaning the price will lower as an economy of scale kicks in. It’s all about the long-term thinking.

9. Remember the 3 Rs – Repackage, reuse and reform 
When it comes to single-use containers, there’s a massive role for sustainable materials and compostable packaging to play. They’re convenient and require relatively little consumer behavior change.

The most environmentally friendly food packaging solution is to adopt reusable container systems. However, getting consumers to understand the reusable items procedure may take some work. Container deposit schemes may have a part to play here.

These and other practices aimed at reducing the disposable container waste mountain are sensible in the face of the climate crisis, and restaurants can help to make a world of difference.

Also read: Food, beverage is UAE’s second biggest sector after oil – report