Sustainability and eco-friendly venue tips

Rivareno debuts new packaging
Sydney-based gelateria Rivareno is known for its high-quality products, and now the brand has rolled out a bespoke packaging solution for customers purchasing take-home gelato.

Dessert businesses largely use styrofoam tubs due to the packaging’s lightweight composition and insulation qualities, but there’s often a greener way to do things. Rivareno’s new tubs are made from double-walled cardboard and are a first-to-market product in Australia.

The exterior cardboard is uncoated while the interior is lined in PET. The gelato is insulated by an air barrier and remains cool during transportation. Best of all, the packaging ensures the gelato remains fresh until it’s consumed, with the packaging preventing ice particles from developing while in the freezer. Once customers have polished off their gelato of choice, the tub can be rinsed out and placed in the recycling bin.

Compostable cups

BioPak have pioneered another packaging first using PHA — polyhydroxyalkanoate — a biopolymer produced during a fermentation process that uses plant sugars and vegetable oils.

The cups are made entirely from bio-based renewable resources, from the FSC responsibly sourced paper to the PHA lining, which means they are completely home compostable. The cups break down in less than 180 days in marine settings such as compost thanks to the use of marine biodegradable PHA resin.

“This is a breakthrough in bioplastics,” says CEO Gary Smith. “However, our products are not designed to be disposed of in the marine environment, so we won’t be advertising it on the cup. Its ability to biodegrade quickly is not a licence to litter, but an opportunity to have an end-of- life solution for people with access to a home compost.”

The cups took years of research and development, and will be released later this year in 8oz, 12oz, and 16oz sizes.

Carbon-free kitchens

There’s been a push for kitchens to switch from gas to electric in recent years, with one of the largest operators in the country jumping on board with a new initiative. The Carbon Free Kitchen (CFK) was exhibited during Vivid as part of A New Normal Sydney, a thinktank of solutions for cities to become self-sufficient producers of clean energy and limitless water.

A Solotel pub was used as a test, with the venue converting all appliances to electric. The group teamed up with Allford Hall Monaghan Morris to identify gas-fired appliances used in commercial kitchens and find fossil fuel-free alternatives. Many chefs have been trained on gas-fired appliances, but the project aims to educate chefs on the benefits of electric cooking which span from lower ambient temperatures to quieter environments and easier cleaning.

The initiative joins a broader push for change, with the Global Cooksafe Coalition
(GCC) also promoting universal access to safe and sustainable cooking. GCC is working to implement fossil fuel-free cooking and the use of electric appliances powered by renewable energy in new kitchens by 2030 and existing kitchens by 2040.

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