Alison Korb, CEO and Founder usefulis at the forefront of a significant shift in the way foodservice approaches sustainability. USEFULL helps university and corporate cafeterias reduce their reliance on single-use plastic and paper packaging by implementing a reusable food packaging collection system. Alison joins the conversation to discuss her company’s traceable, technology-enabled, reusable steel food containers and cups. After adopting USEFULL’s reusable system, Carleton University reduced its loss rate from nearly 60% to less than 1%. This achievement is part of a broader movement towards creating a campus circular food system to reduce waste and promote a broader culture of sustainability.
The importance of reusable food service containers cannot be overstated. Single-use plastics contribute significantly to global plastic pollution, especially in food services. In the United States alone, the market for disposable food service containers is huge, with annual sales of approximately $27.81 billion. This widespread use of single-use products not only adds billions of tons to the waste generated each year, but also exacerbates the environmental impact through the production, disposal, and potential pollution of these single-use products. For more information about USEFULL, please visit the following website: https://www.usefull.us/
Editor’s note: This episode originally aired on August 19, 2024.
