Consumers have become increasingly aware of the amount of plastic and non-biodegradable materials that we use and dispose of without thinking about the long-term consequences.
The spotlight at first was on single-use plastic bags, with regulations following as all Australian states and territories committed to bans on lightweight plastic bags – with only NSW yet to fully enforce them (1 June 2022).
But of course, bags are just one part of the plastic problem. Single-use coffee stirrers, cutlery and the ubiquitous straw remain an environmental problem. Fortunately, things are starting to change.
“There’s certainly no lack of concern on the side of shops and customers alike,” says Manon Beauchamp-Tardieu, Managing Director of Little Green Panda, a business founded on the belief that single-use products shouldn’t be “made to last”.
“Now more than ever, we’re using our buying power to show the kind of products we want to see on the shelves,” she says. “And retailers are responding to this desire for sustainability by bringing more eco-friendly products into their stores.”
Because plastic packaging is made from a widely available, inexpensive material, it is less expensive to produce than other sustainable alternatives such as paper, glass, aluminium, etc. Eventually – probably sooner than later, says Ms Beauchamp-Tardieu – the market price for these new alternatives will be reduced due to increased market share and volume.
In the meantime, she adds, while plastic-free alternatives for packaging are slightly more costly than plastic options, business owners have been responsive to the switch, especially if plastic is no longer allowed to be used in their area.
“In the past year alone, many states across Australia have implemented and regulated bans on single-use items in an effort to decrease their use,” she says.
South Australia and Queensland began implementing bans on single-use straws in March and September 2021 respectively, while ACT, NSW and Western Australia will do so in 2022 and Victoria in 2023.
If your store hasn’t begun looking for alternatives to single-use plastic straws, now’s the time to do so.
Learn more about sustainability and plastic-free alternatives in the latest issue of Convenience World.
