VegwareUS to help diners “Bring It Home Green”

Danielson, CT  Novemeber 19, 2008 -  VegwareUS, a newly formed Danielson, Connecticut based company, has signed an exclusive deal to market Vegware© brand eco-friendly restaurant supply products throughout the North American continent and recently announced the initial distribution of eco-friendly products to North America.  Vegware’s line of plates and bowls, knives and forks, cups and to-go boxes are all created from natural products and are all fully biodegradable and/or compostable.

Originally sold in Europe by Scotland based Vegware, these high quality, environmentally sustainable products reflect the growing corporate shift towards both sounder manufacturing options as well as smarter end-of-life procedures.  At a time when America’s dependence on foreign energy has become a definite liability, VegwareUS owner Robert Bond proudly points out that not a single item in the company’s inventory contains any petroleum based substance.

“We’re hoping to set the example,” explains Bond,  “Vegware’s fiber based products present saner ecological and economic options that could have a significant impact in reducing the amount of waste generated from disposable tableware and cutlery products.”

North American consumers are ordering take-out meals in record numbers.  U.S. government statistics show American families spend $3,360 a year to avoid cooking at home.  Currently, an estimated 39 billion items of disposable cutlery make their way to American landfills yearly (source: The Food Packaging Institute, Washington, D.C.).   Unlike traditional cutlery, Vegware products are designed to breakdown naturally, eliminating unnecessary waste.

In addition to helping to manage waste, the manufacturing process for creating Vegware products also represents a breakthrough in both simplicity and eco-efficiency.  Renewable raw materials, such as corn, potato and cassava provide the fiber and starch which comprise the building blocks of these items.  Bagasse, one of the most popular Vegware offerings, is a byproduct of sugar cane which is made from the dry fibrous residue left after the stalks have been crushed to extract juice.  Bagasse plates and bowls are created by a high-heat, high-pressure process that requires the use of considerably less energy than that used when pulping wood for similar paper products.  These pieces are remarkably durable and especially well suited for holding hot, wet or oily foods.  An added benefit to Vegware’s ease in manufacturing will be the flexibility it offers in both servicing specific client needs and in keeping up with changing market trends.

About VegwareUS
VegwareUS is a Connecticut-based company offering an environmentally sustainable range of cutlery and tableware products.   The company exists to provide economic, eco-friendly, and high quality options to the food service industry while simultaneously providing the highest possible levels of customer service.  VegwareUS’s longer term goal is to play a part in enabling a paradigm shift in how waste is managed.   To learn more, please visit www.vegware.us.

We’re very proud to say that we got there first! Finally, a fully biodegradable and compostable hot drink cup and lid combination.

Our cups are made from quality heavy-weight paper board, and have a corn starch lining rather than plastic. The matching sip-through lids are made from corn starch in the form of PLA with an additive which makes them heat-stable, though does not affect their environmental credentials.

More information can be found on our hot-cup page.

Not headline news, but we’ve added wooden stirrers as a stock item. However, the good news is that we think ours are probably the cheapest on the net.

We’ve extended our range of compostable sandwich wedges by adding two new sizes - a standard and and triple fill - to add to the deep fill which has proven very popular since it was launched last year. The updated range of wedges still use kraft board with a corn starch window. More information can be found here.

By popular request, we’ve added a compostable PLA baguette bag to our sandwich bag range. These are 110 x 350mm, fully compostable, and are made from annually renewable resources. They use a 40 micron white back and 25 micron clear front.

These can be found the bags page of our catalogue.

The soaring prices of oil and food crops have sparked debate on the impacts of biofuel production, and bioplastics have attracted some negative press by association.

At Vegware, we consider that bioplastics have a very valuable role to play as part of an environmentally sustainable approach to packaging. Click here to read our statement on the issues of biofuels, bioplastics, food prices and waste management.

Our bag range has been extended to include compostable sandwich bags made from PLA. They have a 40 micron white back, and 25 micron clear front, and come in 190×190mm and 260×260mm sizes. We are also offering PLA sheets for food wrapping in medium 300×400ml and large 350×500ml sizes.

In addition, we’ve taken stock of biodegradable greaseproof sheets, and a range of recycled paper carrier bags.

The British standards institute has launched BS8901, which sets out the requirements for planning and managing a sustainable event.

Gatherings such as festivals and sporting events enrich our cultural life, though can have negative environmental impacts due to the amount of waste. There are many steps which organizers can take to minimize this, and we at Vegware see it as very positive that event organizers are being asked to plan for this from the outset.

Vegware will be exhibiting at Expowest Cornwall from 5th to 7th March 2008. If you’re anywhere near the Royal Cornish Showground, do come and check us out!

More information at www.expowestexhibitions.com.

We’re now offering CE-marked compostable pint and half-pint cups made from corn starch. The CE marks mean that they can legally be used to serve beer from un-measured taps…perfect for glass-free venues.

Look out for them at a festival near you this summer!