With recent legislation banning single-use plastic items most commonly littered in our environment, the attention has focused on single-use and understanding where we can help our suppliers and customers reduce this. This shift has sparked a collective effort to explore alternative materials, redesign products, and implement sustainable practices throughout the supply chain. By working closely with our suppliers and engaging with our customers, we aim to identify opportunities to eliminate or replace single-use plastics with alternative materials.
Within the catering equipment sector, single-use plastic has found its way into product packaging to deliver cost-effective protection to products during transit. However, the time has come to reject this practice and drive out single-use plastic wherever possible. We have been actively focusing on eliminating single-use plastic packaging. Two out of our three exclusive cutlery brands are now entirely free of such packaging. Pieces from our Signature Style and Signature Steel brands are now wrapped in tissue paper and banded with paper. In addition to this, all single-use plastic was removed from the packaging in our Artisan crockery ranges and replaced with cardboard. Also, plastic sleeves have been removed from our Prepara Gastronorms. 50% of our Exclusive brands have removed single-use plastic from their
packaging. We continue to work with our suppliers to remove as much plastic waste as possible.
We are also challenging and working with all our supplier partners to do the same. Many have already made huge improvements with millions of pieces of single-use plastics being removed. For example, Robot Coupe has focused on reduction in packaging from the design onwards. The packaging Rational uses is also almost fully recyclable, with most being cardboard and wood. Meanwhile, 100% of Churchill’s core packaging is recyclable.
We are on a programme of continuous improvement to ensure single-use plastic in product packaging becomes a thing of the past.