Organic meal kit provider Sun Basket has begun rolling out what it says is the industry’s greenest, most sustainable packaging in an effort to dramatically reduce the waste associated with shipping its boxes to customers nationwide. The company has also pledged to lead the meal delivery industry toward a “zero waste” future. According to Sun Basket, this initial effort, which is expected to divert more than 5 million pounds of waste from municipal landfills within the first 12 months, includes the first truly recyclable insulation liner made from recycled materials, the only gel packs with all-natural, fully compostable fill, and compostable ingredient bags.
“With this new packaging we are taking significant steps toward providing the most eco-friendly packaging to our customers,” says Adam Zbar, CEO and founder of Sun Basket. “Since day one, Sun Basket has been committed to reducing our impact on the environment, which is why we were the first meal kit service to institute a box mail-back program.”
Adds Sun Basket Head of User Experience Tyler MacNiven, “Unfortunately, we found that ninety percent of Sun Basket’s packaging was not being returned and was ending up in landfill. With our new solution, which makes it easy for users to recycle and compost at home, we solved this problem without compromising the freshness of our food.”
The result, says Sun Basket, is a reduced need for new packaging manufactured from raw materials, drastically reducing energy use, and in turn reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses.
Sun Basket’s new packaging includes:
- Fully recyclable insulation made from recycled water bottles. Notes the company, even the stickers used to roll up the liners for easy recycling are approved to be 100% recyclable.
- Eco-friendly gel ice packs made from non-toxic, food-grade materials: All ice packs are filled with 98% water and 2% non-GMO cotton (the industry standard contains petroleum), which can be composted or thrown in the garbage to evaporate.
- Backyard compostable ingredients bags that can be composted at home or placed in a curbside compost bin. The bags are also suitable for anaerobic breakdown, meaning they will decompose in a landfill if they end up there.
Sun Basket will also continue to use Greenware food containers, which are made from a fully compostable material best disposed of through industrial composting.
Learn more in this video.
