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Useful Steps for Businesses and Sustainability

During this challenging time, many businesses have helped their hungry customers by donating food. In accordance with this, many of these businesses experienced growth of nearly 135%. As their sales and competition will most likely continue to increase, it's essential to find ways to make smart, economic decisions along the way.

 Reuse and Recycle

 As those new methods of ordering meals have developed and advanced, so have the packaging techniques. As more companies become aware of sustainability, the more advanced and environmentally friendly our world will become. 

Businesses have the choice to reuse and recycle, and a corporation called Vessel is doing precisely that. Users can use and "checkout" stainless steel cups, and when they are finished using them, simply return them to the kiosk. The cups are then washed and reused. 

A comparable model has been used by Ozzi, which gives users reusable bins for all sorts of meal types that are allowed to be returned, washed, and reused. Because of the container's features, the company can use this system for a long time and save money on business costs. 

 Reusable Is Convenient

We have all sent one of your friends or family members home with one of our to-go containers and probably never saw it again. If you do get it back, it may be stained from food or not quite as clean as you once saw it. This problem can also occur in businesses, and it's not always easy to get every reusable container back. Although food courts or cafeterias might not have a problem, other companies might. This is why consumers must help businesses normalize sustainability and be willing to participate in the process.

 What Can You Do?

The best choice for eating places is to apply disposable containers. Reusable containers are best for eliminating waste; however, many companies can't use them in their business models. If you're going to go disposable (which is the most likely), there are a few good packaging alternatives out there. Avoid plastic and styrofoam, as the issues with these are detrimental to the environment. Check out molded fiber food packaging by Zume, which is good quality, biodegradable, and affordable. 

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What are the Different Types of Food Packaging?

For a long time, the food industry has used cardboard or plastic packaging for food orders. However, these food packaging materials are not compostable or sustainable. Although cardboard or paper to-go boxes might seem like a great alternative to plastic, molded fiber is a much better option for numerous reasons. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants had no choice but to make the shift from dine-in to to-go orders only. This caused a considerable production increase in plastic to-go containers and led to much more trash filling our landfills. Plastic may be the cheaper option than other food packaging types, but is certainly not the best for our planet. 

Paper

You may be asking yourself, what do you mean by paper to-go boxes? When we refer to paper as a material for food packaging, we are mainly describing the Chinese food basket-shaped containers. While these containers are still better than plastic, they are often treated with chemicals to prevent leaking. Although they are easier to break down in landfills, they aren’t able to be used in your compost. 

Cardboard

Cardboard is often used at pizza shops, as we are all well aware of! When we think of cardboard, we usually think of a decent packaging option that can be recyclable without causing harm to the environment. However, pizza usually creates lots of leftover greases that seep through cardboard boxes, making them unable to be reused as a recycled material. 

Molded Fiber

At Zume, we only create food packaging products out of molded fiber. We have identified this food packaging as the most sustainable method for the industry and the health of our environment. As a sustainable and compostable material, restaurants and consumers can use this product for a one-time use without feeling guilty. 

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What are the Different Types of Food Packaging?

For a long time, the food industry has used cardboard or plastic packaging for food orders. However, these food packaging materials are not compostable or sustainable. Although cardboard or paper to-go boxes might seem like a great alternative to plastic, molded fiber is a much better option for numerous reasons. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants had no choice but to make the shift from dine-in to to-go orders only. This caused a considerable production increase in plastic to-go containers and led to much more trash filling our landfills. Plastic may be the cheaper option than other food packaging types, but is certainly not the best for our planet. 

Paper

You may be asking yourself, what do you mean by paper to-go boxes? When we refer to paper as a material for food packaging, we are mainly describing the Chinese food basket-shaped containers. While these containers are still better than plastic, they are often treated with chemicals to prevent leaking. Although they are easier to break down in landfills, they aren’t able to be used in your compost. 

Cardboard

Cardboard is often used at pizza shops, as we are all well aware of! When we think of cardboard, we usually think of a decent packaging option that can be recyclable without causing harm to the environment. However, pizza usually creates lots of leftover greases that seep through cardboard boxes, making them unable to be reused as a recycled material. 

Molded Fiber

At Zume, we only create food packaging products out of molded fiber. We have identified this food packaging as the most sustainable method for the industry and the health of our environment. As a sustainable and compostable material, restaurants and consumers can use this product for a one-time use without feeling guilty. 

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The Difference Between Molded Pulp and Molded Fiber

First off, most of the population is most likely aware of the typical take-out containers we all see at restaurants.The packaging that looks like styrofoam but is actually called polystyrene. Polystyrene is horrible for the environment, just like the rest of the petroleum-based containers we so often use. This is where molded pulp and fiber come into play in order to create environmentally friendly and biodegradable packaging. 

What is Molded Pulp?

Molded pulp is a fiber that comes from materials like bamboo, wheat straw, sorghum, etc. It’s formed to shape to create packaging such as cardboard or paper. Typically known as “pulp,” Zume likes to reference these materials as “molded fiber.” Molded fiber was initially made from wood pulp but has been replaced by these other materials. Ultimately, there is no difference between the two, but there is a massive difference between molded fiber and harmful packaging out there. Plastic, styrofoam, polystyrene are all common materials we see and use every day in the food industry, which is why Zume Inc. produces molded fiber packaging. 

What Can You Do with this Knowledge?

Whether you are a business owner or individual interested in decreasing your carbon footprint and making environmentally friendly choices, there are many options out there. Cutting back on waste and especially packaging that isn’t compostable or recyclable, will significantly affect our environment positively. There are easy ways to make a significant impact in our world, one step at a time. 

Zume is excited to make an impact while helping others in the food industry do the same. With molded fiber packaging, companies and individuals can now choose sustainable packaging products that don’t cause harm to the environment. While offering affordable packaging solutions, food businesses and consumers can ditch the unsustainable cup and to-go boxes. 

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Reasons to Compost

Composting is the natural way of recycling your food or biodegradable packaging. Although recycling may be something most of us do daily, composting is far less common. However, composting is a great way to fertilize crops, making it very beneficial for the environment. 

What is the Process of Composting?

Composting uses scraps of your food (i.e., orange peels, coffee grounds, eggshells) or packaging (paper, cardboard) and using these scraps to fertilize the soil. Instead of throwing out these scraps, you can save them and use them for a garden. This promotes growth in your garden and keeps you from creating more waste that is being thrown into our landfills. 

What Can I Compost?

These items are good to compost:

Vegetable scraps 

Fruit scraps (avocado skins, banana peels, etc.)

Coffee grounds

Cardboard

Paper

It’s important to know which food items are compostable to avoid causing any harm to your plants or garden. 

Avoid composting these items: 

Meat scraps (fish, poultry)

Fats 

Dairy products

Coal or charcoal

Pet waste

Compost Can Save You Money!

Say goodbye to purchasing fertilizer for your plants and garden! If you don’t have a compost bin, keep a jar or container with an air-tight lid (to avoid a harsh smell) and use this food waste for your soil. Compost also soaks up water in the soil and releases it to your plants or vegetables at a slow rate. This water retention can save money in the long run by watering less frequently.

Packaging Can Be Compostable, Too!

Companies like Zume have developed biodegradable packaging that is made of molded fiber at natural resources. Zume encourages customers to use environmentally friendly products and start making changes in their daily routines to help the environment. 

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How Zume Values Its Employees

At Zume Inc., all employees are valued equally, from executives to our technicians who keep us going. Everyone at Zume has a necessary and high level of important job to fill, and we don’t take that lightly. Our employees are a representation of our company and who we inspire to be every day. 

Ethics

Doing the right thing is a short sentence with a lot of power. As a sustainable company, it’s not always easy to implement the right decisions, but it’s always a priority. Our team recognizes the importance of choosing the ethical way, no matter which aspect of the company we are developing. Even if making the right decision requires more effort to be made, our employees know that it’s always worth it.

Team

As a team, we take great pride in respecting one another and continuously learning from our coworkers. We understand that a healthy work environment will reflect the company and its success. Each person will have a voice, and each employee is expected to listen. 

Implementing the Best Idea

Because Zume operates as a collaborative effort amongst all employees, the best idea given will win. This means that everyone is pushed to give their opinion and weigh in on decision making, so as a team, we can decide what the best solution is. Each opinion is valued and will be heard when suggestions are being made to make a positive change, one step at a time. 

Always Building Trust

We believe that investing in our employees and practicing communication will build trust. We want each employee to feel appreciated and willing to communicate with their team openly. Although challenges will be thrown our way, we want to learn from them and continue to make the right decisions. Trusting one another to carry out these day-to-day practices will create the best work environment we can. 

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Can a Product Really Be Biodegradable?

The short answer is yes! You may have wondered before, does a packaging product labeled as "biodegradable" actually decompose? It's awesome to say that manufacturing technology has progressed and made products 100% biodegradable, essentially questioning the use of plastic in our society today. 

Plastic Use

As plastic use has been a normal source of packaging for decades, it's often hard for individuals and businesses to make the switch to biodegradable products. Food packaging especially is a common source of everyday plastic waste that so many don't think twice about. However, plastic does not decompose in landfills and has extremely harsh effects on the environment as a whole. 

We Can Eliminate Plastic 

Although plastic has been in our lives for years, everyone can make changes in their everyday routine to cut out plastic use. Habits often start at home, so be sure to inform your family and friends about the dangers of plastic. Introducing biodegradable products into your life can make others more aware of the environmentally friendly options that are out there. 

Help Our Landfills

Throwing away biodegradable products no longer hurts our planet. These products break down naturally over time due to their makeup of natural resources. If we keep contributing waste products to landfills like plastic, our earth will continue to fill up with harmful trash that will never go away. 

Start Before It's Too Late

If you aren't sure where to begin, look into biodegradable packaging that is readily available for purchase. Check out companies like Zume Inc, which have developed technologies to make all of their products biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Taking the time to learn and make progressive decisions towards eliminating plastic will encourage others to do the same. 

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Eliminating Plastic in Your Life

There are many ways to reduce plastic in your life with the end goal of eliminating it. Working towards a plastic-free life can save the lives of so many species that are in danger and are susceptible to harmful waste products like plastic. Refraining from plastic use doesn't just save animals' lives but can save our planet from poisonous gas and pollution. Follow these steps to contribute to the goal of living in a plastic-free world. 

Step 1 - Recognize Your Plastic Use

Make yourself aware of all of the products you use throughout your routine on a daily basis. Are you drinking out of plastic water bottles? Are you using plastic for packaging? By becoming knowledgeable of your routine and how much plastic is involved in your life, you can then decide how to make impactful changes one step at a time. 

Step 2 - What Plastic Can You Eliminate

If you are used to purchasing items that come in plastic containers, find new alternatives so you no longer contribute to plastic waste. Using resources such as glass for your food or water is a great way to reuse containers instead of throwing away a plastic container each day. If you don't want the hassle of washing or cleaning out a glass container, you can look into purchasing biodegradable materials for packaging instead, such as molded fiber. 

Step 3 - Choose to Recycle if You Have to Use Plastic

Sometimes it may be challenging to avoid using plastic, especially when you are shopping or going out to eat. Not all companies have made the switch from plastic to reusable or biodegradable materials. Supporting businesses that are environmentally conscious and use reusable containers (like the ones Zume produces) is a great way to contribute to saving the planet. However, if you find yourself in situations where you are using plastic, be sure to find a place to recycle the plastic properly so it's not getting placed in trash landfills. 

Overall, simple changes can make a massive difference in our world. There are many reusable and environmentally friendly options out there to explore and incorporate into your daily life. Reuse products that make sense and recycle plastic you can no longer use to work towards improving our environment one step at a time. 

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The Environmental Impact of Sustainable Packaging

Everyone can make a difference in eliminating harmful waste products from our environment. Together, as individuals and businesses, consider taking these steps towards learning about sustainable products and packaging. 

Corporate Environmental Responsibility

It's more important than ever before for those who own a business or work for a corporation to pay attention to the company's carbon footprint. Although the cost will need to be evaluated in making the switch, choosing to use sustainable products will be well worth it in the long run. Environmentally products will not only lower toxic waste that is being produced, but they will also change the way you begin to think about your supply chain and how improvements can be made from the ground up. 

Cleaning Up Our Earth

Plastic and other products that are used for disposable packaging live on this planet for decades because they don't decompose. Food packaging containers, especially single-use products, are being manufactured and thrown away only to stay on our earth for years to come. Biodegradable products will help eliminate waste from sitting at landfills and causing harm to many ecosystems. 

Choose Sustainability

Choosing to use environmentally friendly products is allowing manufacturers to use sustainable energy. Companies that are producing these packaging containers can create products from solar power alone. Buying from sustainable businesses is making a positive chain effect from the top down. The more companies and individuals source their products from environmentally friendly manufacturers, the number of jobs needed will increase to better the economy. 

Let's Put an End to Plastic

The impacts of green products can change the way our world operates. There are so many products that require packaging that is continuously being thrown away every single day. Plastic is causing ever-lasting damage to our planet and is essentially irreversible. Our world can not continue to use these types of non-biodegradable products, and without a change, our ability to pay the price will no longer be an option. 

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Plant-based Packaging: Molded Fiber

As a society, we move towards a more “green” planet by learning about harmful materials and what resources we can use to replace them. A huge factor to consider is cutting down the use of plastic. This is where molded fiber comes in, a resource not many are currently aware of the positive environmental benefits. 

What is Molded Fiber?

As a developed resource but new to companies, molded fiber has been patented since the early 1900s. Molded fiber is a natural fiber made out of plant materials like wheat straw, bamboo, sorghum, etc. However, it’s considered a waste product due to its wide availability from crops. When harvested, this material is often thrown away due to its preconceived notice of being practically useless. 

How Can We Use Molded Fiber?

Although many don’t know about it yet, companies can use molded fiber for food packaging. For example, Zume Inc. has created food containers that other businesses can use in their restaurants. Their manufacturing technology uses molded fiber to act as plastic while being a natural resource. This product can be widely used across many industries. Zume Inc. has also developed molded fiber into face masks, an essential item on the market. 

What is the benefit of Molded Fiber? 

Molded fiber is excellent for food packaging related products because it is biodegradable. When restaurants are using food containers, molded fiber packaging will eliminate plastic on a large scale. Customers can use these containers as to-go boxes for their food and throw them away without negatively impacting the environment. It’s also an affordable resource that companies of all sizes can consider switching to. 

Molded Fiber is the Future of Plastic 

We are all aware of the harm plastic can cause in countless ways. Businesses that are investing in our planet's future can learn more about molded fiber packaging and the impact it will have on our environment. 

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4 Alternatives to Plastic

Plastic is and will continue to be a critical problem in our society. With plastic comes many environmental issues, but it is something businesses and individuals can work towards changing. With many sustainable options out there, saying goodbye to plastic for many purposes can be an easy fix. Let’s find out what alternative options are out there. 

Glass

As a widely available substitute, glass is a reusable resource that many consumers are switching to. Although glass is fragile, it's lightweight makes it easy to use for household items that would typically sit in plastic containers. It is a cheap resource and useful for eliminating water bottle waste throughout the day, but remember to be careful when transporting. Glass is an excellent option for its ease of recycling and accessibility to those who want to switch from plastic.

Paper

As you probably know, many restaurants and food services companies have started switching to paper products. Since paper is disposable, it's a smart alternative for anything food-related. As a renewable resource, it is also widely available. As long as paper products are being recycled, paper is often a more cost-effective product that is better for the environment. 

Stainless Steel

As an option that must be used over and over again, stainless steel is not just reliable. Its sturdiness is an added factor that many companies could benefit from in production. Steel can be implemented in many ways to get rid of plastic. Because steel is an expensive resource, it’s not always the best choice for those looking to decrease their daily use of plastic.

Molded Fiber

Out of these resources, molded fiber is probably one you aren’t used to hearing about. Zume Inc. is one of the first companies to use this resource for their line of food packaging supplies. Molded fiber is 100% compostable and doesn’t require additional farming or plantations to make. This product is reliable and cheaper than nearly any other resource due to its material, otherwise considered "waste."

As you can see, there are alternative resources to eliminate plastic and reduce your carbon footprint. Both individuals and large corporations and everyone in between can take action towards reducing their daily use of plastic. Some resources may be more affordable, but others can better suit your needs. Find an alternative that fits into your lifestyle to join the movement against plastic!