Birleys works with Seal Packaging to improve its sustainability credentials

Packaging Solutions Green Solutions

London based sandwich salad bar chain Birleys knows that environmental sustainability issues matter to its loyal customer base. Managing director Paul Salter said, ‘At Birleys, we have spent more than 30 years building a reputation for quality. During that time, we have worked hard at perfecting and evolving our imaginative menus, and partnering with carefully selected suppliers to get every element just right.

‘Sustainability is high on our agenda and we know that it is extremely important for our increasingly well informed and discerning clientele. We offer our made to order sandwiches, salads, breakfasts and lunch platters for eat in, takeaway and home and office delivery, so choosing the right packaging is crucial. We are now working with Seal Packaging to ensure we can present our food in genuinely sustainable, great looking and easy to use packaging.’

‘The fact that Seal’s ethos is ‘Packaging with Integrity’ certainly gives confidence and puts us on the right track as we embark on a process to ensure that Birleys operates as sustainably as possible,’ he added.

The first product Birleys introduced from Seal was Compostabowl, which combines a high quality bagasse bowl with an optional high clarity lid made from 100% recycled and 100% recyclable rPET. Bagasse is an abundantly available, natural and sustainable plant based material that can be used instead of traditional foodservice packaging materials, and Compostabowl is certified to TÜV Austria (S0086) – the highest standard for home compostability.

‘With its superb environmental credentials, using Compostabowl immediately adds an eco friendly feel to our food,’ said Paul. ‘It is popular with customers as its ergonomic design makes it both easy to hold for food on the go, while also enhancing the presentation of the food.

‘Compostabowl is a breath of fresh air for the marketplace and offers the consumer an environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing solution. The consumer appeal and satisfaction are great and they, along with ourselves, are delighted to be doing something positive for the environment.’

On the next steps of its improved sustainability journey, Birleys is considering adopting Seal Packaging’s innovative Itsnotpaper bags.

‘Itsnotpaper bags look, feel and handle like paper, but we will be proud to tell our customers that not one tree has been chopped down to make them,’ said Paul. ‘They provide the perfect canvas for both our branding and our sustainability message.’

By using renewable sources such as agri-fibres as a raw material, instead of wood, the production of Itsnotpaper bags have up to 38% less carbon emissions than conventional bags.

The agri-fibres used to make the material for the bags are abundant and renewable, and by turning what would otherwise be waste into a valuable resource, the product is supporting communities in India by paying farmers for something they previously burnt, causing air and land pollution.

Itsnotpaper bags are made in the UK, and the material used to make them has been through a rigorous lifecycle assessment to ensure that it is sustainable, end to end. They are certified marine degradable, are 100% recyclable and can be recycled in conventional paper recycling streams. They also have 100% compostable certification, making them a genuine sustainable alternative to traditional paper bags.

Seal has also recently introduced certified plastic free, home compostable and recyclable, repulpable paper cups, which have the prestigious Flustix No Plastic certification by Din Certco, and are the only UKCA mark registered paper cups for 10 oz and 20 oz.