A POPULAR restaurant chain with a branch in The Oracle is looking to reduce its carbon footprint with a new range of delivery bowls.
Wagamama, which specialises in Asian cuisine such as katsu curry, will switch its delivery bowls from virgin plastic to ones made from recyclable material.
It says the move will help it save 62% of its carbon footprint and remove 330 tonnes of plastic from its supply chain.
The new packaging has been four years in making and has just started to be rolled out.
It is made from cPET plastic, a food-safe material that has excellent heat resistance, making it safe for hot remen.
The chain will also welcome customers’ used packaging in its new Bowl Bank scheme, created in response to the varied practices of the UK waste streams.
Both will be in use nationwide by October.
Wagamama’s CEO Thomas Heier said the company had responsibility to its customers to implement these changes.
“Reducing our use of virgin plastics is a complicated mission – but one we have been dedicated to for four years. This has been driven by the belief that we needed do better for our guests, teams and the planet,” he said.
“Proving small choices make for big change and sustainable progress doesn’t happen overnight. This is an exciting and overdue step for us but only the beginning.”
Wagamama were advised by the UK Recycling Association, who said the decision to switch over to more eco-friendly choices was “incredibly encouraging”, praising their decision to research a solution that fitted within the UK recycling systems.
Simon Ellin, its president, said: “There’s so much misinformation and false claims about where rubbish goes, you really need to take the time to fully understand the problem.
“Assessing their business needs, I’m confident cPET is the most sustainable option available to them at this time, and I’m pleased to see they have invested in this option.
“They will be leading consumer behaviour change with their ‘Bowl Bank’ initiative, and it would be brilliant to see more return initiatives like this from their peers.”
