Attention to sustainability has always been one of our core principles, both in the running of our kitchen, in our parlours, in the office and of course for our deliveries. We have spoken about our sustainability journey before - you can find the full blog post here with a lot of detailed information - but now we would like to show you in depth how we package our desserts so they get to you fully frozen.
With Christmas approaching we are extra aware of the amount of packaging that ends up in landfill, and we have put a lot of time and care into our research over the years for truly sustainable options. They are a lot more expensive than "traditional" packaging, but we are proud to be at the forefront of the movement for the use of environmentally friendly packaging and deliveries.
1. WHAT ARE WE SENDING?
If you ordered a cake or a dessert, it will first of all be placed inside either a Kraft, Kraft & PLA coated or a fully compostable food grade box. If you are receiving tubs, we use compostable tubs only. Our hampers and gift boxes are all cardboard, so fully biodegradable. Since cardboard is just a derivative of paper (which is a derivative of wood), it breaks down very well when exposed to proper environmental conditions and microorganisms!
2. LET'S START PACKING!
We build a cardboard box big enough to accommodate your packaged order. The tape we use is our Ruby Violet branded tape, which is water-activated and the base material is kraft-paper. This tape is compostable, and the adhesive is starch based.
3. WE ADD WOOLCOOL
We then line the box with Woolcool, which provides the insulation. Woolcool is made using 100% pure sheep’s wool, and is therefore both sustainable and compostable. There are many resourceful ways to extend the wool's life if you don’t have a compost bin or simply just don’t want to throw it away: pet baskets, cushion stuffing, hanging baskets, donation to homeless or animal shelters, draught excluders, slug barrier for your garden... so many options!
4. DRY ICE
The next step is dry ice. We add enough to ensure that your frozen delights can get safely to you and keep frozen for up to 24 hours after delivery. Courier services act outside of our control, and we do our best to minimise any hiccups that might happen while your desserts are making their way to you.
5. COMPOSTABLE PACKING CHIPS
We then add some compostable packing chips to protect the products in transit. Independent studies show that these chips provide better product migration and impact protection than ordinary polystyrene packing chips do! And they are 100% compostable and EN13432-certified; they'll completely degrade in home or commercial composting facilities without leaving any toxic chemicals or other nasties behind, or they can simply be dissolve in water in a matter of minutes.
6. LABEL AND CLOSE
Almost there! We tuck the Woolcool snuggly around everything and close the box with more branded compostable tape. We add some useful labels, printed on biodegradable Bagasse Cane Fibre paper, with permanent adhesive, and ta daaa! Your iced delights are ready to travel to your home! We only ship our UK orders once a week to keep our carbon footprint to a minimum.
