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Author Archives: Allen King

Smart restaurants add sustainability to their menus

January 18, 2012 | By Allen King

Here’s my prediction for 2012: we’ll see less use of the word “greenwashing.” Why? Because any company or brand that’s serious about adopting sustainable business practices will have already integrated environmentally conscious attitudes into not only their back office and customer-facing operations but also into their core brand value proposition. Similarly, these companies understand that customers and business partners are becoming more sophisticated about how they interpret any company’s marketing and brand messages that highlight sustainability. The bar is now … Read More

Richmond packaging company confronts Styrofoam head-on

November 23, 2011 | By Allen King

By Derek Lartaud, Richmond Confidential

In the food-packaging business, polystyrene has become a four-letter word. That petroleum-based environmental havoc-wreaker — often referred to as Styrofoam — has been largely phased out by Bay Area restaurants and foodservice companies in response to a consumer base that has demanded a commitment to sustainability. Gone are the days when your Big Mac was served up in a bright yellow foam clamshell.

Despite all of this, polystyrene has managed to keep a foothold in … Read More

For smart and chic retailers, recycled = premium

October 12, 2011 | By Allen King

Have you noticed those stylish shopping bags that up-market department stores lavish on their customers? They’re a far cry from the plastic bags offered by the big-box retailers, and they are clearly not an inexpensive line item in the operating budget of a Nordstrom or Macys. Shoppers at these retailer locations have come to expect quality shopping bags as part of the shopping experience. In fact, some retailers’ shopping bags are so nice that shoppers use them for other purposes, … Read More

Innovative grocers are adding extra green to the produce aisle

August 31, 2011 | By Allen King

The produce department of any supermarket is one of those places where one cannot help but feel in touch with planet Earth. You might be just paces from the cleaning products aisle where chemicals of all types are beautifully merchandised, but in the produce department you’re surrounded by the bounty of many American states and foreign countries. You pick out a couple of peaches, tear off a produce bag, and add them to your basket. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it?

But … Read More

Sustainably Designed Dinnerware Deserves a Place at the Table

July 20, 2011 | By Allen King

Last month, I reviewed the latest sustainable foodservice products and to-go containers available for grocery stores, delis and restaurants. In this month’s post, I’d like to review the solutions available to caterers, event planners and party & wedding hosts who want to ensure their event minimizes the use of the planet’s scarce resources.

It wasn’t too long ago that heavy-duty paper plates were considered the best option for saying “I care” when catering an outdoor event or informal party. Of … Read More

What’s beyond bagasse?

June 8, 2011 | By Allen King

These days, some consumers are rather surprised when restaurants and delis use foam-based take-out containers. These informed and environmentally aware consumers know that polystyrene foam cannot be recycled and degrades very slowly in landfills. So, if you’re a grocery store, deli or restaurant looking for heat- and moisture-resistant packaging for to-go situations, what are your options?

Bagasse is one way to go. Made from the pulp that’s a by-product of sugar cane production, bagasse is viewed as a renewable resource … Read More

How To Help People Make Room

May 4, 2011 | By Allen King

Have you ever watched the curious ritual of some coffee drinkers at your local Starbucks or Peets? After being handed their steaming cup of coffee (which, we are informed in writing on the cup, is hot), some folks make a beeline for the nearest trash can and proceed to judiciously tip some of their coffee into it. Why? They’re making room for cream or milk.

Often, when you order a coffee, you’re asked: “Would you like room?” If you do, … Read More

What do Bread Bags made from Recycled Paper, Coffee Cups and Water have in Common?

March 23, 2011 | By Allen King

One of our customers, Acme Bread, a well know artisan bread bakery in Northern California, is saving more than 70,000 gallons of water each year simply by selling their bread in their new bread bags. At no cost to them, we switched the paper we used to produce their printed bags to 40% post-consumer recycled paper, which is FDA approved for food contact. This is a pretty unusual for the bread industry.

My two boys grew up on Acme Bread … Read More

BPA-free Receipt and Cash Register Paper

February 9, 2011 | By Allen King

No matter how hard I search to locate the most sustainable food service packaging products, my customers always beat me to the punch. A case in point is our new line of BPA-free credit card and POS printer rolls. I received two calls in the same week, one from a large, regional grocery store and another from a National Park, both customers of Excellent Packaging, asking if the thermal receipt paper that we sell to them was BPA-free. … Read More

Who Is Excellent Packaging & Supply?

December 15, 2010 | By Allen King

Wow! A box guy thinking outside the box. That’s the first thing that went through my mind when I met Dennis Salazar at a conference on Biodegradable Plastics four years ago. He was the only person at that conference whose company sold corrugated boxes. Everyone else was a scientist, plastic manufacturer or end user. But he had come to learn about new materials – materials that, at the time, were used primarily for packaging fresh food, things like takeout clamshells.… Read More