In this era of plastic, a group of innovative individuals are working to reduce plastic consumption. In April 2023, Google launched the Single-Use Plastic Challenge, offering winners the opportunity to showcase their products in Google cafes and microkitchens across the United States. This initiative attracted numerous food companies to participate. Twelve entries were selected, and the Environmental Information Center has selected several interesting examples to share.
1. Candy that solves the problem of leftover food and plastic
The global food waste problem is serious, and even companies participating in the Single-Use Plastic Challenge are drawn to the appeal of "ugly food." UpWorthy reports that the candy company Climate Candy was founded by Amy Keller, a confectioner from a family of confectioners. She created an eco-friendly brand by purchasing imperfect but high-quality produce and turning it into candy, then using plant fibers to create eco-friendly packaging. This not only transforms leftover food into delicious candy but also reduces single-use plastic packaging.
2. Coffee cups become garden nutrients
Inspired by the unglazed ceramic cups used in Indian food stalls, startup GaeaStar has developed a compostable clay cup. According to "Very Compostable," the cups are made from simple materials: clay, salt, and a small amount of water. Using 3D printing technology, each cup takes less than 30 seconds to create. After drinking, simply discard it in the garden and crush it with a stomp.
3. Crispy and delicious edible tableware
Even eating your spoon? Startup IncrEdible Eats has released a new type of cutlery that's not only edible, but also comes in a variety of flavors. Weekly Sparks describes these edible spoons and forks as having a crispy texture and offering both sweet and savory flavors. Made from wheat, oats, corn, chickpeas, and brown rice, they're dairy-free and non-GMO. In addition to original flavors, they also offer chocolate, vanilla, oregano chili, and pepper.
4. Agricultural waste becomes daily necessities
According to Waste 360, the straws, cups, food mailers, and fruit bags made by the Swedish company PlasticFri appear to be ordinary plastic products, but they are made from agricultural waste, wild plants, non-food plants, and wood fiber. Raw materials include discarded potatoes or corn, corn husks, wheat straw, sugarcane, and rice straw. PlasticFri's unique approach is to use agricultural waste and non-food plants, which does not impact food supply.
5. Maple water replaces mineral water
With frequent extreme weather events, water resources are becoming increasingly scarce in the future. The startup Asarasi has taken a liking to maple water, a byproduct of the maple syrup production process, and is selling it as sparkling maple water.
According to Organic Soda Pops, 1 billion gallons of pure maple water are filtered from maple trees each year to produce maple syrup and other maple products, enough to replace the existing bottled water market. Maple sap is 97% pure water, with the remaining 3% being maple syrup. Previously, this purified water was simply discarded. The founders of Asarasi saw this as a waste and thought, why not make use of this pure, plant-based organic water? Thus, a variety of flavored maple sparkling waters were born.
In addition to the aforementioned examples, other award winners also put considerable effort into packaging. According to The Spoon, cooking oil manufacturer Eco Refill Systems has bid farewell to single-use plastic bottles and switched to reusable stainless steel containers for its cooking oil. Homefree, a food company specializing in gluten-free cookies, uses 53% food-grade recycled materials in its wrapping paper, and even uses wind turbines to print its cookie boxes.
References：
*The Spoon（2023/11/22），Google Announces Winners of the Single-Use Plastics Challenge
*UpWorthy（2023/5/4），Dum Dums founder’s great-granddaughter turns imperfect fruits and veggies into refined ‘climate candy’
*Very Compostable（2023/4/19），GAEASTAR: Disposable Clay Cups
*Weeklysparks（2021/11/26），incrEDIBLE Eats: Ditching Disposable Spoons
*Waste360（2021/10/12），A Look at Three Unique Alternatives to Single-Use Plastic Bags
*Organic Soda Pops，Asarasi Organic Sparkling Tree Water
*PR Newswire（2023/11/21），Homefree is a winner of Google’s Single Use Plastics Challenge
*Google（2023/4/19），An open invitation to help reduce plastic waste
Source: Environmental Information Centre
