As we become more aware of the effects that plastic has on our environment, the business demand for eco-friendly packaging increases.
As a small business, some might argue that the cost of using eco-friendly alternatives cuts into their profits or raises the cost of their product to the consumer. The latter might be more true.
When I was setting up Clever Crumb I did a lot of research into how I could minimise the use of plastic and unsustainable materials. I found that eco-packaging was much more readily available and financially viable than first thought, even in the small quantities I required.
I don't know about you, but I had always thought cellulose was another form of plastic and was so surprised to find out it wasn't!
You will notice in our cake kits that we package our sprinkle mixes, fondant and confectionery in clear bags. These are natural cellulose packaging, not plastic! Cellulose is a naturally abundant organic material and is derived from renewable wood pulp and is compostable. Suitable for packaging a wide variety of food products, for me, it was an easy choice and one that made sense.
Although not completely biodegradable (due to the food-grade lining inside), we pack our cake and icing mixes in kraft bags, even though plastic looks nicer, has a wider variety of choices and are generally cheaper. Our decision to use kraft pouches was simple, it had less plastic content.
Our plain brown kraft cardboard cake boxes can be recycled easily and the kraft delivery labels we use are made from recycled paper.
We hand-make Australian wood rolling pins and seal them using vegan food-grade wax. We could so easily source plastic ones or wood ones from overseas, saving a lot of man-hours, but it was important for us to use Australian wood. Know that when you purchase one of our cake kits that a lot of love has gone into making that rolling pin just for you!
We made the choice to only supply wood cake toppers, avoiding the nasty plastic ones, because the reality that these will end up in our landfills at some point is real.
These are just some examples of what we are doing to make our cake kits eco-friendly. We know we aren't perfect, and that there is so much more to learn, but we feel comfortable that we are walking with one foot in front of the other in the right direction and sometimes all it is, is taking that first step.
We are committed to making eco-conscious decisions and in doing so take as many opportunities as possible 'to do the right thing'.
For more information about our packaging visit our website page "Let's Talk Packaging", where it also has a guide of how to responsibly dispose of our kit contents.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this segment about Clever Crumb. If you have any suggestions or feedback we would love to hear from you.
And lastly, I will leave you with this...
“Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”
-George Bernard Shaw-