PLASTIC REDUCTION CASE STUDIES

MARIA ISABEL MONTEJO

DECEMBER 14, 2022

BSIE II-E
Introduction

One of the most popular and practical materials in contemporary civilization is plastic.

However, due to its detrimental effects on the environment, biodiversity, and public

health, the usage of plastic is becoming more and more divisive. The natural

biodegradation of plastic in the environment. Instead, it disintegrates into tiny pieces

(micro-plastics), which can damage animals and marine life and have a severe effect on

human health by releasing poisons into the food chain. Companies are looking for

alternatives to plastic products as knowledge of their damage rises methods that are

effective and affordable for people to use less plastic. However, reducing plastic in

many industries is difficult, especially when plastic items represent a significant part of

their everyday offerings Companies and groups have taken action to limit plastic

consumption, despite challenges. Businesses that have created efficient plastic

reduction strategies can set an example for their competitors in related fields.

The Grey Plume, Snappy Salads, Ted’s Montana Grill, Chez Panisse Restaurant, and

Starbucks are the companies that utilizes sustainable technique in many areas of its

operations, such as the treatment of plastic trash. The company serves fresh

ingredients with care and integrity, offering what's locally available year-round, enabling

customers to have an emotional and sensorial experience.

The Grey Plume

The restaurant employs environmentally friendly practices across the board. In addition,

the eatery's dining room and bar have flooring made from reclaimed barn wood, and its
menus are printed using soy-based ink on recycled paper. The Grey Plume has started

recycling systems for its plastic items, used reusable and biodegradable materials for

plastic products, and substituted disposable items with alternatives in an effort to reduce

the usage of plastic. The Grey Plume's proprietors are driven by a feeling of civic duty,

particularly in light of environmental conservation. Clayton Chapman, the Grey Plume's

proprietor and executive chef, stated: "We are continuously looking at what we are

doing and asking how we can improve our environmental consciousness." The Grey

Plume's staff members are inspired by his passion; they constantly seek out ways to

improve their environment, and they are interested in learning how to integrate these

activities into their regular lifestyle as well as how they can inspire their relatives, and

clients to follow suit.

Snappy Salads

The Snappy Salads is making efforts to lessen its reliance on plastic goods. For takeout

food, they use biodegradable and regenerative containers made of maize. Additionally,

they use paper bags and compostable alternatives for cutlery like forks and knives for

their takeout meal containers. In its seven eateries, Snappy Salads is reported to have

used about 27,000 straws per month (Cook, 2014). They only recently began utilizing

paper straws. Aardvark2 Straws is the supplier of the straws. Aardvark straws are the

only completely American-made, FDA-approved eco-friendly paper straws, according to

their website.

Chris Dahlander, the creator and CEO of Snappy Salads, has worked hard to achieve

this aim because he is motivated to contribute to environmental protection. Simply

expressed, it's something in which I truly believe. I hope to depart this earth in a

somewhat better state than when I arrived. I offer wholesome cuisine prepared by

passionate people with the chance to better their life in an eco-friendly setting, he said

(Cook, 2014). "It's simple to make money. Making a difference is much more difficult.

Snappy Salads used sustainable substitutes for their plastic items to reduce their use of

plastic. They have switched to reusable materials in place of single-use plastic

containers because about 35% of their clients order food to go.

Ted's Montana Grill

A prominent menu item at Ted's Montana Grill, a chain of eateries with locations in 17

states3, is bison. Columbus, Ohio, saw the debut of its first restaurant in January 2002.

The co-founders of Ted's Montana Grill, Ted Turner and George W. McKerrow should

concentrate on preserving the environment. They have concentrated on a number of

fronts, such as energy efficiency, water conservation, and waste reduction, in order to

improve its environmental performance.

Paula Owens, Ted's Manager of Purchasing and Sustainability, stated that the

company's goal is to strike a balance between financial success and social obligations:

"Ultimately, a company is in business to make." They firmly believe that it is possible to

create a successful business while also protecting the environment. They take the

environment into account when making decisions. They are dedicated to acting

responsibly, protecting what they can, and promoting awareness of the condition of our

planet. The goal of Ted's is to totally eradicate plastic, and as of now, 97% of plastics
that are unrelated to supplier packaging have been removed according to personal

correspondence with Paula Owens on February 2015.

Chez Panisse Restaurant

Chef, novelist, and activist Alice Waters established Berkeley, California's Chez Panisse

with a group of her friends in 1971.The restaurant, which is credited with sparking the

California cuisine movement, offers a daily-changing seasonal menu made with locally

sourced ingredients. According to Waters, "the best-tasting food is grown and collected

locally, sustainably, and organically by people who are caring for the land for future

generations" (Chez Panisse, 2015).

In her opinion, "social obligation overrides financial expenses," Alice Waters is adamant

according to personal communication with Alice Waters on February 2015. She adds

that they "feel happy to have many more ecological items on the market these days that

are also increasingly inexpensive and effective" (personal communication with Alice

Waters, February, 2015). Alice Water founded the Chez Panisse Foundation to create

the Edible Schoolyard Project (ESP), an educational initiative that "uses food to nourish,

educate, and empower youngsters," building on the notion of sustainable food (Chez

Panisee, 2015).

Plastic wrap used for food storage is the only plastic utilized at Chez Panisse in terms of

usage and reduction. They don't offer takeout, thus their customers don't receive any

plastic garbage from them. They have also explored a number of environmentally

friendly alternatives to plastic wrap, but nothing, in their opinion, performs as well as

plastic wrap. As a result of the low costs and minimal amounts of wrap needed, they are
not very concerned about the issue of plastic usage. They also use enormous plastic

bottles, which are constructed of recyclable materials, to receive one type of oil in their

everyday operations. They are also completely aware of the types of plastics that can

be recycled and used again in the area where food is stored. Reusable crates are used

to transport goods and keep them fresh.

Starbucks

The Seattle, Washington-based Starbucks Corporation, also known as Starbucks

Coffee, is a multinational coffee corporation and chain of coffee shops. Starbucks, the

largest network of coffee shops in the world, operates 21,160 locations throughout 63

countries and territories. Selling beverages, whole-bean and ground coffee,

sandwiches, sweets, and coffee-related goods like mugs and coffee presses

(Starbucks, 2015). In order to promote business sustainability, Starbucks has worked

hard to create fair and responsible coffee supply chains, assistance for farmers, and

green building efforts (Starbucks, 2013). The majority of the plastic used at Starbucks is

in their cold beverage cups, plastic straws and takeout food containers are both bad

examples.

Being a responsible corporation is one of Starbucks' core beliefs (Starbucks, 2015).

Starbucks approaches their products, customers, shops, community, investors, and the

environment holistically, seeing themselves as "innovators, leaders, and contributors to

an inclusive society and a healthy environment" (Bo Enquist, 2010). Starbucks' purpose,

which focuses on the environment, involves selling and employing ecologically

sustainable items as well as improving creative and adaptable solutions. Additionally,

they make an effort to communicate with their partners about environmental issues and

incorporate environmental responsibility into their company values (Bo Enquist, 2010).

Starbucks is looking into renewable materials for its current polyethylene terephthalate

(PET) cold cups and flat lids in an effort to find ones that exhibit better environmental

performance qualities. Starbucks is interested in incorporating sustainable packaging

materials into its cold beverage cup designs from the viewpoint of the life cycle. Ingeo

biopolymer (polylactide acid, PLA), produced by NatureWorks LLC (NatureWorks), may

be made available to manufacturers of Starbucks drinking cups as an alternative to PET

(PE Americans, 2009). Starbucks and NatureWorks have teamed together to assess

Ingeo's environmental performance in relation to the full life cycle of a few bio-based

materials and polymers to aid in this effort. As an alternative to the present PET cup,

Polypropylene (PP) cups were also taken into consideration (PE Americans, 2009). By

evaluating the environmental performance and effects of several types of plastics, this

research helps Starbuck's make material decisions for cold plastic cups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, on the basis of the data gathered, Each case study describes the

company's commitment to sustainability, its core principles, its initiatives to reduce

plastic use, as well as its successes and obstacles. Even though all of the example

companies have had remarkable accomplishments, they all face tough obstacles like

the comparatively high prices of replacing plastic products, patchy legislation, and,

especially in small businesses, the difficulties of building a monitoring system. As a

summary of our research, here outline a variety of approaches—both big and small—

that can be used in a variety of commercial fields to decrease plastic consumption and
manage plastic trash. Of these, knowledge and attention are the most crucial. It is

discovered that when business owners make reducing plastic use a top priority, they

frequently come up with workable solutions that are good for the environment and

society as a whole in addition to their own organization.

References

The Grey Plume

Website: http://www.thegreyplume.com

Snappy Salads

Website: http://www.snappysalads.com

Ted’s Montana Grill

Website: https://www.tedsmontanagrill.com

Chez Panisse Restaurant

Website: http://www.chezpanisse.com/

Starbucks

Website: http://www.starbucks.com