Every year, the EU produces nearly 100 tonnes of waste just from packaging. The UK is now even exporting their waste to other countries for “processing.” Hence plastics are being burned overseas and we are not even cognizant of how it’s being done or the pollution generated.
The Guardian put our waste problem into perspective:
“According to the Environmental Protection Agency (pdf), containers and packaging accounted for 30% – or 75.2m tons – of total solid waste generated in the US in 2012. To put that into perspective, we discard our own weight in packaging every 30-40 days, on average, according to Stanford University.”
Companies are waking up to the reality that we’re not just making products -- but also waste. So how can that waste have little negative impact or even better, can it be fuel for energy?
Goodio set out to find the most sustainable packaging available for its chocolate bars. If we dwell so heavily on the process of sourcing cacao from farmers directly and producing a high-quality, healthful food product, we should give our waste just as much importance.
That’s why our wrappers in both the 30 grams and 48 grams chocolate packages are biodegradable. The material is called NatureFlex NK: a compostable material made from wood-pulp. The wood pulp itself comes from well managed forests -- that is when trees are chopped for consumption, a new lot are planted, ensuring that the forests thrive for generations to come. The final product is perfect for housing our chocolate because it's well-insulated, blocks moisture, air, and any smells.
What we particularly liked about it is that the packaging can become a fuel source for your garden. It’s suitable for you to throw it in your compost bin at home and will break down in wastewater systems naturally.
When you’re done savoring the chocolate, throw it in your compost bin and use that compost to enrich your garden. Haven't tried composting yet? Let us show you how -- stay tuned for a step-by-step process to easy composting at home.