This year, Iceland was the first big supermarket chain to announce intentions of going plastic-free within the next five years. How will it achieve that? Paper and pulp-based alternatives, it says. Others are looking towards bio-plastics. The starch-based material is almost indistinguishable from standard oil-based plastic, but has not gone through the traditional method of extracting crude oil (not the most environmentally friendly thing) in order to make it, and is entirely biodegradable. Origo, a toxin-free corn starch bio-plastic made by CornWare, is one of them.
‘It’ll be up to a couple hundred days before it’s gone,’ says Adam Peyt, director of CornWare, talking about how long Origo takes to decompose. ‘They will crack and break down. Some of these cups, when in a composting facility, will return back to nature as compost between 19 and 20 days.’
A sure improvement on the 500+ years plastic takes to degrade, and without compromising on the rigidity and durability plastic affords either (something plant-based packaging options suffer from). It’s an idea catching on – Pure, the fast food chain with 14 branches in London, order their cutlery from CornWare. But there’s still a long way to go. If anything, big food companies are put off by the cost of transitioning to an alternative, as well as the cost of the alternative itself.
‘It starts off with a price thing,’ says Adam, ‘but consumers are voting with their wallets now.’ In some cases, the price gap might not be as steep as first thought, with the difference being as little as a penny. ‘We’re talking tiny percentages here on what they’re already spending, and you can make that back in marketing.’
With possible new laws against plastic on the horizon, manufacturers may have little choice but to be more mindful of their packaging. Will they be glad to? We’ve already seen big companies enjoy a bit of good PR. As retailers control virtually everything, the moment they come out and say they’re plastic free, the impact that has on their customers and competitors, and, ultimately, the environment, is huge. Worst case scenario is their consumers won’t realise the difference.
Here’s the thing: people are avoiding products with excess packaging. 67% of Committed Foodies and 50% of the general public in our survey said so. And that figure will only grow. These days, where what we eat comes from is one of the most important conversations you can have around food. If more than a bit late, now the nature of the packaging it’s in is too.