Using recycled plastic
Considering our environment and the environmental impact we make as a business, is something we truly care about. Did you know, The Sustainable Schools Queensland website estimates the average school-age student produces three pieces of litter from their lunchbox each day (when taking a processed/packaged lunch)? That's approximately 30 kilograms of rubbish per student, per year. In a school of 500 students, that's 15,000 kilograms of rubbish in just one school!*
Our lunchbox is designed to pack waste-free lunches to help reduce single-use plastic consumption as well as encourage people to pack healthier, unprocessed foods; it's also cheaper to buy in bulk and make your own snacks at home versus buying individual packets of snacks (e.g. 1kg tub of yoghurt vs 6 packaged yoghurt tubs or a packet of popcorn vs home-made popcorn).
We originally intended to use recycled HDPE plastic for our Boxi Cool lunchbox, however when we tested the performance of the HDPE in our second prototype it was too flexible, causing the lid to bow when closed and therefore not creating the seal we needed to achieve to prevent food from spilling. After further research and testing, we have now changed the material to Polypropylene (PP), a sturdier plastic that is heat, odour, stain and moisture resistant, FDA approved and BPA free. It's a durable plastic that gives longevity to products and is also available with recycled components and provides the opportunity to use environmentally-friendly additives like FDA approved crushed Oyster Shell. As of January 2020, we're still tying to source the Oyster Shell additive to use in our first manufacturing run, but because it's a relatively new product it's hard to secure. We will continue to try and source the additive right up until the very final moment before we push the 'go' button.
We're passionate about using a component of recycled material in our lunchbox to help reduce carbon emissions and be environmentally responsible for our product and our planet.
*data retrieved from http://www.sustainableschools.qld.edu.au/Default.aspx?tabid=921 on 1 January 2018
