All About Real Plastic Free’s Packaging

We all know there’s too much plastic in the world, and that not all of it can be recycled. The food system generates a huge amount of plastic waste, but how does Real Plastic Free’s packaging reduce your impact?

Our Packdowns

Our own branded pack downs of nuts, seeds, dried fruits, pulses and cereals are packed in cellulose bags. We chose cellulose over paper as we find it is stronger, and biodegrades far quicker.

We use NatureFlex, which is fully compostable and biodegradable. Made from wood pulp, it quickly biodegrades when exposed to optimum conditions. As it is not a plastic, it cannot be recycled: just scrunch it up and pop it in your home compost or the general waste, and it will have disappeared within six months. Our labels are printed on paper with vegetable dyes, and the glue is biodegradable too, so you don’t need to worry about those either. You might not realise this, but sellotape is now often made of plastic. We have hunted down a true cellotape supplier, and use them exclusively for all our taping needs!

Precycling

We believe in precycling, so we don’t repackage when you buy wholesale items. When you purchase in bulk, you take another opportunity for packaging waste out of the system: the goods come in the same packages the manufacturer originally put them in, even if this is plastic, so you are still reducing your impact. That said, we seek out manufacturers and suppliers who don’t use plastic to package their goods whenever possible.

Our packing materials

When it comes to packing our online orders up and posting them out, we want to be sure they arrive in perfect, plastic free, condition. Our cardboard boxes can be easily recycled, but what makes our packaging different is what we fill them with. Egg boxes might not be your first thought when it comes to protecting delicious plastic free treats or fresh fruit and vegetables, but the ones we use are made from recycled paper, so are simple to dispose of. Don’t worry though, we buy them directly from the manufacturer, so they’ve never been near an egg! We also use special paper ‘bubblewrap’. This ridged paper works incredibly well to prevent breakages, and can just be popped straight in the recycling. To make sure Real Plastic Free’s packaging is truly plastic free, the tape we use to seal our boxes is made of paper, and uses biodegradable glue.

Reducing our impact on the environment seems complicated, but it can actually be quite simple. Save a turtle, order with Real Plastic Free!

WP Post Author

Sophie Robinson

Sophie Robinson, MSc Gastronomy, Dip CNM

Sophie is a registered nutritionist with a particular interest in helping people to find simple and sustainable ways to improve their diet. She holds an MSc in Gastronomy, which has allowed her to explore her passion for the story behind the food we eat. She believes that too often we concentrate on the end product, and not the journey that brings it to us, which contributes to the mindless eating habits prevalent in our society. The founder of Follow the Wild Path, a nutrition and lifestyle platform, you can often find her rummaging around in a hedge, or tending to her many ferments.

This article is written as a point of interest, and is not to be considered nutritional advice for health or disease, please make sure to raise any dietary changes with your health professional.

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