This little doosie has been twisting our brains into pretzels for a while so we need to let it out.
It’s all about us trying to be as eco-friendly as we possibly can. Why? Because that’s what you (our very clever and eco-conscious friends) have been asking for. And we love this big old globe of ours.
We’re always keeping our ears to the ground looking for new more eco friendly packaging options, and for the most part they aren’t available for small fries like us.
But when we heard that an Australian tube manufacturer was close to having a new renewable bioplastic that could be used for tubes, we got a little excited. OK, a lot excited.
The reason this gave us belly butterflies is because bioplastics are plastics that are made from renewable (usually plant-based) sources rather than icky petro chemicals. Much kinder to mother earth.
But then we were hit with a conflict!
The bioplastic tubes are made from whey protein left over from the cheese making industry.
Our hearts sank because this is NOT the solution you want to hear for a range of beautiful vegan products.
Don’t panic - we’re still vegan
We should point out that we have NOT made any decision to move away from being a vegan business. Instead, we want to hear from you.
We want to get your thoughts so you can weigh in on this conundrum.
“Eco friendly” and “animal friendly” are in separate corners and not hand-in-hand like they normally are.
“Eco friendly” vs “Animal Friendly” - which do you choose?
The cheese industry in Europe alone creates 75 million tonnes of whey. 40% of that is wasted and thrown away. Yep 30 million tonnes in the bin.
So to make use of a wasted byproduct some smart boffins figured out how to make plastic out if it. Not just any plastic.
For food containers the plastic is not only from a renewable source but also biodegradable.
For tubes like the ones we use they are from a renewable source, provide better product protection and much easier to recycle.
Overall using whey bioplastic petroluem use, waste and carbon footprint are all lowered for environmental benefit. Whey plastic is shaping up to being a very eco conscious packaging solution.
The one big drawback - it comes from a cow
Aside from whey not being vegan, we also have to consider that the cattle industry itself is a pretty big pollutant. It’s a massive source of methane and is said to contribute to global warming.
Like we said we have not made any decision about changing our commitment to being vegan but this is still definitely worth talking about!
So we would love to know - what would you choose??
Why couldn’t it have been easy and come from hemp instead of whey ;)
