Our Eco Journey
My ethos has always been about sourcing food that is as close to its natural state as possible, produced and delivered with care and respect for the animals, the environment and the individuals involved.
A key part of this focus is to make sure our end-to-end supply chain is as eco-friendly as possible, which is something I have been working on since the business was started.
We have made great progress, but we are not where we need to be yet. So on we go.
We do not use plastic bags for our deliveries
To reduce our consumption of plastic, we have always packed and delivered our produce in reusable crates instead of plastic bags.
Note: We have presently suspended our use of reusable crates and are delivering all produce in plastic bags for safety reasons due to the COVID-19 situation. We are hopeful that we can revert to reusable crates in the near future and encourage all customers to reuse plastic bags where possible.
Vegetables are delivered in paper bags where possible
Vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots and potatoes are packaged and delivered to our customers in brown paper bags instead of plastic. Whilst we would love to deliver all of our produce in non-plastic packaging, leafy vegetables have to be kept in plastic to ensure they reach you fresh and in the best condition possible.
We prioritise suppliers who make efforts to reduce their plastic footprint
Oh My Goodness!
Róa
Moreish
Nature's Best Eggs
Pastificio Liguori
Australian Bone Broth Co
Raglan Coconut Yoghurt
Sasha's Farms
Vasse Virgin
Our Very Own Meals
We are in the midst of trialling different types of compostable packaging to find the best alternative in the market so that we can reduce our use of single-use plastic.
ViewGoing beyond our supply chain
Saving the earth is a collective effort and I would love to enable our customers to also reduce their plastic footprint by adopting sustainable practices in their daily lives. As such, we have launched our very own reusable bamboo straws on our website, which are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic.
We are working with our suppliers to reduce their
use of non-recyclable plastic packaging
The whole culture of plastic use needs to change and we need to play to its strengths. Plastic is not only malleable, durable and versatile, it also lasts for hundreds of years. Whilst the use of plastic cannot be completely eradicated at the moment, the challenge becomes one of using it more effectively and sparingly. When we repurpose and reuse plastic, we immediately help with the problem.
De-plasticising the grocery sector is no easy feat. We're doing all we can at Sasha's Fine Foods to reduce our impact on the environment.
Food safety concerns
Plastic packaging is extremely useful and as such, we can't remove them entirely from our food chain. While it is not the most environmentally friendly, plastic plays an important role in supporting the safe distribution of food over long distances and minimises food waste by keeping food fresh for longer.
Few Earth-friendly food packaging products available locally
We have been on the hunt for suitable plastic alternatives. However, it has been extremely challenging as there are limited bio-sourced plastic alternatives currently available in the market, many of which are not yet good enough to ensure the quality of our products. As such, changing the packaging would damage the product and lead to food wastage.
The reality is that Singapore's grocery sector is not ready to lead the way in this field. So, we have turned our attention to solutions outside of Singapore.
Some biodegradable plastic alternatives are not necessarily better for the environment
Simply removing plastic from food packaging may not be as sustainable as one might think. Despite the belief that bio-based products are better for the environment, a larger carbon footprint could be created in producing them.
In Singapore, most of our waste is incinerated instead of being buried in landfills. As such, biodegradable packaging that needs to be industrially composted will not make an effective difference to the environment. We are therefore focusing our efforts on packaging materials which are reyclable or easy to compost at home.