Vegware calls for end to carbon-intensive packaging

Eco packaging firm Vegware is calling for a shift away from carbon-intensive packaging following a s…

Eco packaging firm Vegware is calling for a shift away from carbon-intensive packaging following a study revealing that bagasse – recycled sugarcane used to make Vegware’s takeaway boxes and plates – has 99% less embodied CO2 than polystyrene.

Independent carbon consultancy En-Count compared carbon emissions per kilo of the renewable plant materials used by Vegware, with those used in conventional packaging.

Vegware also reported that the study showed; Vegware coffee cups, lined with cornstarch (PLA) has 51% less carbon than conventional plastic lining (LDPE), its deli containers, made from cornstarch (PLA), has 55% less carbon than conventional plastic containers (PET) and its cold cups, made from cornstarch (PLA), have 62% less carbon than conventional polystyrene cups (PS).

Vegware’s Recycling Consultant, Eilidh Brunton comments, “Our Eco Audits have proven an extremely effective tool for CSR reporting. Since 2010, our Eco Audits have compared the carbon savings of switching to low-carbon cornstarch over PET plastic. Our new figures take this further, comparing all our renewable materials with those used in conventional packaging. We now have independent proof that across the board, eco materials have a much lower impact than oil based plastic. In 2013, by choosing to use our eco packaging, Vegware’s UK customers saved 925 tonnes of carbon. This demonstrates that businesses and caterers have a real opportunity to boost CSR and reduce their carbon footprint, by simply switching from conventional foodservice packaging to using eco disposables.”

Vegware’s latest carbon figures come at a time when the importance of carbon reduction is high on the political agenda after a recent report released by the UN. The report, by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), calls for a massive shift away from carbon-intensive fuels to reduce the risks of global warming.