Automatic Merchandiser - 10

OCS UPDATE

Safe and Sustainable
COVID safety protocols in the
workplace break room
don't have to trump
sustainability
By Emily Jed, Contributing Editor

BEFORE COVID-19, SUSTAINABLE,

environmentally friendly products and
packaging were growing in demand,
especially in office coffee service (OCS).
Companies made formal commitments to source bulk products instead
of single-serve, seeking OCS supplies
made with recycled, recyclable, and
compostable materials to be responsible stewards of the environment.
But as the need to avoid the spread
of the coronavirus has taken top
priority, operators have had to shift to
single-serve and plastic-wrapped OCS
supplies to promote safety in the break
room. Several suppliers offer solutions
that address safety concerns without
compromising sustainability.
Ralph Bianculli, founder and
CEO of Emerald Brand and Paradigm
Group, based in Huntington, N.Y.,
said his company has increasingly seen
" sustainability " translate beyond the
impact of single-use disposables on
the environment to encompass their
impact on personal health and wellness. Its product line includes cutlery,
hot and cold cups, take-out containers,
plates, napkins, and packaging made
from tree-free and petroleum-free
renewable and compostable materials
like sugarcane, wheat, clay and corn.
HEALTH TIE-IN

" Takeout plastic use is up 200% and
masks and gloves are littered everywhere. There's nothing safe about that, "
Bianculli remarked. " 'Health and wellness equals sustainability' is our new
tagline; that includes cleanliness and
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Automatic Merchandiser * December 2020

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health. Consumers are not backtracking on their sustainability commitments because of COVID, and they
are also much more aware of products
that are made in the USA. "
Addressing burgeoning demand
for single-use utensils, with both
health and the environment in mind,
Emerald Brand recently launched
compostable, individually wrapped
Plant to Plastic® cutlery made in the
U.S. It's made with polylactic acid
(PLA), a natural plant-based bioplastic derived from renewable resources
like cornstarch and sugar cane and is
renewable and biodegradable.
Also new are Emerald's Americanmade, Tree-Free™ toilet paper, napkins
and paper towels made from agricultural fiber and free of fluorocarbon,
BPA, and elemental chlorine.

wellness in the products and packaging used with food along with the
environmental impact. "
Five years ago, Emerald Brand
launched an aggressive campaign to
make more of its products in the U.S.
" Only 15% or so of our portfolio was
made in the U.S., " Bianculli noted. " We
accelerated the push in 2018 and 2019.
Now, close to 70% of our portfolio is
made in the U.S. and we're continuing
to close the gap further. "
Emerald Brand can provide
operators with quarterly environmental impact statements to quantify the
results of their clients' sustainable purchases and help them educate employees about their efforts. Detailed in the
statements are the number of trees
and virgin fiber saved, landfill waste
diverted, and plastic materials avoided.

MADE IN THE U.S.

SEEING GREEN

" A growing trend that ties into sustainability is that consumers want made in
the U.S. for traceability of the supply
chain and to know what chemicals are
in products, especially since COVID, "
he said. " On the foodservice side,
there's a big push for safety, health and

Alliant Coffee Solutions/Wolfgang
Puck Coffee, based in Edmonds,
Wash., offers coffee and tea under
the Wolfgang Puck, Reunion Coffee
Roasters, Donut Shop Blend, and Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf brands with a
focus on sustainable solutions to help

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