Sustainable Slice Packaging

So much of the environmental call to action seems like common sense – choose the least processed, most natural stuff, consume less, work for equity and the planet.

We recently attended a Sustainability at Work conference focused on packaging and boy, were we surprised to learn that choosing compostable packaging and serviceware is not actually the best choice for the environment.

Huh?!?

Turns out that very often the production of compostable packaging takes more energy, causes more emissions and leaves tons of non degradable material in the compost, thus rendering the finished compost unsellable and unusable. What a disappointment!

According to those in the environmental know, the best two guiding principles for choosing packaging should always be:

1. The less it weighs, the better.

2. Choose packaging with the highest recycled content.

So we asked ourselves, ‘What can HOTLIPS do immediately with its packaging?’.

While cardboard to-go boxes are really the best vehicle for whole pizzas, when it comes to over the counter slices, we found we can start making a big difference by swapping out slice boxes for slice sleeves.

A single slice box = 2.4oz
A single slice bag + paper plate = 0.4oz
…that’s SIX TIMES lighter!

As you can imagine, over the course of a year we sell a lot of slices over the counter and have introduced this simple, lightweight solution that is so much better for the environment than the cardboard slice boxes you may be accustomed to getting from us.

We totally understand when our customers are traveling some distance before enjoying their slice(s) and will continue to carry our slice boxes for those requests. However for customers on the move looking for that quick slice to eat-and-run, we’re offering the good old paper plate and paper sleeve.

It may seem like a small thing but multiplied by the number of slices + single breadsticks that walk out our doors over the course of a year, this is a very big deal environmentally.

Please help us help the environment and switch to the plate + bag when you are taking your next slice(s) to go.