Eco-Friendly Frozen Dessert Supplies Are Good for the Environment and Good for Business
Ice cream is a big business. Nearly 10% of American milk is used to produce ice cream. But this business comes at a price. When you want to run an eco-friendly restaurant, there are a number of ways to go green with your frozen dessert supplies. Here are three examples of eco-friendly products that you can use for your frozen dessert business:
Ice Cream Containers, Cups, and Lids
Ice cream cups with lids are sometimes made from plastic. Unfortunately, America is in the midst of a recycling crisis, with a glut of used plastic awaiting recycling. The primary factor behind this delay is because recyclers in China are no longer accepting American recyclable waste. So, even though plastic is recyclable, it is currently not being recycled in many cities.
When plastic sits in landfills, it does not decompose; instead, it leaches dangerous chemicals, such as phthalates and bisphenol-A (or BPA), into the soil and water. Exposure to these chemicals can disrupt the human endocrine system causing many health problems.
Luckily, the transition to paper ice cream cups and paper ice cream containers is one the rise. These biodegradable ice cream containers are decomposed by naturally-occurring organisms, such as bacteria and fungi.
Better yet, UNIQ® compostable ice cream containers, cups, and lids leave behind no chemicals upon decomposing. When you're looking for recyclable ice cream cups, rely on UNIQ® to help your business thrive.
Ice Cream Spoons
Plastic ice cream spoons cause the same environmental effects as plastic ice cream cups. However, UNIQ® wooden ice cream spoons are sustainable and biodegradable.
These birchwood products are considered sustainable because the trees grow and mature quickly compared to other trees. Moreover, since birchwood is a natural product, it is biodegradable. Supplementing your ice cream shop's current plastic spoons with wooden ice cream alternatives is a great way to help the environment and supply some of the best products for your customers.
Straws
Paper straws have received a lot of press recently. Many companies, including Starbucks and Alaska Airlines, have voluntarily made the switch from plastic straws to paper straws. And many cities, like Seattle, have banned plastic straws altogether.
Why all the fuss? According to one estimate, Americans use around 500 million plastic straws per day. These straws fill landfills and make their way into waterways and oceans.
UNIQ® paper straws, on the other hand, are biodegradable. Paper is made from wood pulp and is primarily composed of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignan. Cellulose is another name for plant fibers, hemicellulose holds plant fibers together, and lignan gives plant fibers strength. Because all of these occur naturally in plants, naturally occurring bacteria and fungi can break the paper down in about 180 days. For comparison, plastic straws require an estimated 200 years to break down naturally.
Are Eco-Friendly Alternatives Good for Business?
If these points aren't enough to sway your opinion, maybe these statistics might: nearly 75% of Millennials report that their spending habits are influenced by the environmental impact of their purchases. Using eco-friendly ice cream supplies has become a major selling point in the current business environment. When you want to make the transition to eco-friendly ice cream containers and more, rely on Frozen Dessert Supplies.
