Edible Vancouver Island Fall 2022

to bulk milk, they reduced so much waste that it was able to transi tion to all organic milk for the same cost of single-serve cartons. Other institutions are increasing demand for sustainable food services—within the Center’s partner institutions, there has been a more than 30 percent increase in environmentally sustainable pur chasing over the last few years. LEADING THE WAY Meanwhile, some of the largest industry players are tackling packaging and plastic waste internally. In 2021, Driscoll’s diverted more than 10 million pounds of packaging from land lls. e company’s circular clamshell initiative requires packaging suppliers to incorporate recycled clamshells back into new clamshells. Clover Sonoma released the rst fully plant-based milk carton in 2022. Meanwhile, Danone aims to make every piece of packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. is focus on waste reduction can drive investment in better sorting infrastructure, reducing widespread contamination and making recycling easier for all. “Private industry has the opportunity to create the demand to kickstart or revive strong and stable recycling end markets for the circular economy, and we hope more brands and manufacturers will step up to the design and sourcing challenge,” says Camille Herrera, packaging development and sustainability manager at Driscoll’s. More than 70 brands have committed to the One Step Closer to Zero Waste Packaging campaign, which launched in January 2022. It aims to improve infrastructure, labeling and the responsi bility of producers. e campaign also supports the Break Free from Plastic Pollu tion Act. It mandates reduced production of a variety of materials, including plastic, and requires producers of packaging, containers and food service products to boost recycling and composting e orts. Companies that fundamentally change the way they think about packaging, rather than simply swapping plastics for another single use material, can build true circularity. “To make any kind of single-use packaging including composta bles, you’re using precise raw materials, energy and water,” says Anukampa Freedom Gupta-Fonner, co-founder and CEO of Spr ingEats.com, an online grocery store achieving zero-waste delivery from farm to table. ZERO PACKAGING e best way to reduce packaging waste, though, is by using no packaging at all. Apeel makes plant-derived coatings that growers, suppliers and retailers use to keep produce fresh two to three times longer. And

NatureSeal coating combines vitamins, salts and minerals to extend the shelf life of sliced fruits for up to 28 days. Meanwhile, Notpla aims to eliminate the need for single-use plastic bottles. Its condiments and water sachets are made from seaweed, which can be composted or actually eaten. And Sway’s seaweed packaging integrates seamlessly with existing machinery, eliminating the costs for manufacturers. Gupta-Fonner’s waste-free delivery service aims to do the fun damental work of building a circular supply chain from the ground up. For her, waste is an issue of design. “Linear supply chains are not designed for this,” says Gupta-Fonner. Designing the infrastructure for circularity—a system that in herently limits waste—can create an easy and a ordable choice for all eaters. PACKAGELESS EATING ere’s no silver bullet to solving the food packaging crisis. It’s complex and requires both top-down solutions and bottom-up changes by consumers and businesses. “ e real game changer will be when people buy less plastic, reuse what they have and minimize what goes in the trash and into recy cling,” says Mesa. Cohen recommends prioritizing unpackaged food. Whole Foods, Sprouts and co-ops allow customers to purchase bulk food in reusable containers, while zero-waste shops are becoming more common across the country. And farmers’ markets o er a way to avoid plastics in grocery. Kroger partnered with TerraCycle to test a reusable packaging program in 25 Fred Meyer stores. Customers will be able to pur chase products from brands like Arbor Teas, Nature’s Heart and Na ture’s Path in reusable containers that they can return to be cleaned and reused. If unpackaged foods or reusable containers aren’t available, Co hen says to choose easily recyclable materials like paper, glass and metal. Consumers can also look for products with instructions on how to dispose of their packaging. “If you want true systemic change, it means taking a stand against things that derail the broader conversation, just like you take a stand for the organizations that are actually solving the problem,” says Gup ta-Fonner. ere also is the need for a cultural shift. “When you acknowl edge that there are resources, natural elements and actually pieces of real life and habitats that went into making this packaging,” says Gupta-Fonner, “then reuse is compassion.”

Emily Payne is Food Tank’s copy editor, and Danielle Nierenberg is the president and co-founder of Food Tank.

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