There are many good reasons for reducing packaging waste in everyday operations: Whether for the purpose of cost savings or for the sake of the environment - it is worth putting the topic on the agenda. Head of Marketing Oliver Jaekel provides insights into waste management at Marché International, which is based on the three pillars 'packaging', 'regional purchasing and fresh preparation' and 'cleaning':
"In terms of packaging, we give priority to natural materials whenever possible and avoid unnecessary food packaging. We mainly use paper, bar products and compostable Bio plastics, for example for coffee cups or for pizza paper. We were among the first suppliers in Germany to use a fully compostable coffee cup - the coating on the inside of the paper cup is made of natural material and decomposes completely and without leaving any residue. Our pizza paper is also 100% biodegradable and compostable, without chemical additives or silicones. This paper is not only good for the environment and health - by buying our pizza paper we also support the valuable work of the Bundesverband Kinderhospiz.
Another important aspect is regional purchasing and the processing of primarily fresh products: This not only saves unnecessary transport routes, but also packaging waste. By avoiding highly processed convenience products and producing them fresh on site, our products can score with significantly better eco-balances: Local purchasing and fresh products mean that transport distances are short. Costly transport packaging and long storage times in cold stores can thus usually be dispensed with. Especially in the fruit and vegetable sector, almost exclusively organic waste is produced, and often vegetables and fruit can be stored in restaurants without additional refrigeration. This leads to comparatively small cooling areas and direct energy savings.
When it comes to cleaning, we rely on the Oasis dispensing system from Ecolab with 2l bags and concentrate - the correct dosage with the addition of water takes place directly on site and avoids packaging waste and thick plastic canisters. This saves about 70% packaging compared to conventional products and 90% of the transport volume. One bag for the mixing system replaces about 1,000 spray bottles. The dispensing system also means that there is never any overdosing - the chemical load of cleaning agents in the waste water is significantly reduced compared to manual use."
