Plastic is a massive problem. It’s everywhere. It’s either in or on almost everything we buy.
It doesn’t biodegrade, and as a result, it’s in the stomachs of sea animals, it’s leaching into the soil that feeds us and the water that keeps us alive, and it’s ending up in our bodies.
We're deeply concerned by the scourge of plastic and we're taking as many steps as we can to reduce our use of it as a business. Unfortunately this is easier said than done in a supply chain – or in a world – that isn't set up for those changes.
Polypropylene (aka PP 5 or type 5 plastic) is what our packaging is made from. We chose this type of food-safe film because it is recyclable and ensures the quality of the natural foods that we sell. Lots of other businesses in Bristol use the same type of plastic for the same reasons.
19% of local authorities in the UK currently recycle type 5 plastic – but our home city of Bristol doesn’t. So the ability and technology is available, even if it’s not being used here.
Why are we campaigning for more recycling?
We've been looking for an alternative to the plastic-wrapping that our shelf packs are currently packed in, but so far we’ve not found a suitable alternative (for reasons you can read about here).
We anticipate that there will be more innovation in the plastic-alternatives sector now that people are starting to pay attention to this problem. As soon as a viable alternative comes along, we will jump on it. Currently, we’re minimising our use of plastics wherever we can, but we acknowledge that these are small steps in the face of a very big problem.
Ultimately, we want to eliminate our plastic packaging altogether, but before that’s a possibility, the only real option we can see is to campaign in our communities to get our local council to recycle more types of plastic, to minimise the damage caused by food wrappings across the city.
Please join us – whether you’re a business or an individual – help us to put pressure on Bristol City Council, to recycle this type of plastic, to stop it from going to landfill and poisoning our environment forever.
You can read our full statement on plastics here
