Savannah Seidel, Vice President, Sustainability and Impact A Better PlanetBetter Earth is a manufacturer of compostable tableware and foodservice packaging on a mission to eliminate petroleum-based plastics and PFAS-treated fibers from food packaging options. Food packaging and service tableware are two of the largest sources of plastic pollution. The rise of compostable alternatives to petroleum-based plastics can change the properties of foodservice materials and allow restaurants, cafeterias, and food delivery packaging to become part of a circular economy where materials flow from nature to human use and back again. Better Earth manufactures a range of hot and cold food packaging using renewable, sustainably grown fibers and PLA, an industrially compostable bioplastic. This packaging currently represents approximately 8% of the foodservice industry.
Better Earth sells its packaging to businesses, not consumers. The company has set up an in-house design studio to create its packaging. Circulation serviceFor example, our Atlanta office is partnering with farmers to source fiber from switchgrass and other cover crops, providing a new revenue stream to support family farms. We’re also working to develop a collection program to collect packaging and food waste that will be fed into a composting system and ultimately returned to the farm to nourish the soil. Savannah describes our Field to Food to Field strategy as “borrowing and giving back.” Learn more about Better Earth here. https://becompostable.com/
Editor’s note: This interview aired on November 23, 2023.
