Looking to the Future - Hotel Chocolat's Commitment to Ethical Packaging

Looking to the Future - Hotel Chocolat's Commitment to Ethical Packaging

According to a survey conducted by YouGov in April 2019, 46% of Britons feel guilty about the amount of plastic they use. With more than 82% of Brits looking to cut down on single-use plastic. Alongside two-thirds of those surveyed would like to see companies be required to use eco-friendly packaging. As more of us seek alternatives to plastic and non-recyclable materials, Lil Packaging is on hand to help.  

The mission set by Hotel Chocolat

Hotel Chocolat are a well established chocolateer with an evocative back story, they are passionate about change and have their own ethically engaged plan in place when it comes to packaging. With a pledge which states 100% of their packaging will be compostable, reusable or recyclable by 2021.

So far Hotel Chocolat has made some truly fantastic changes when it comes to the removal of single use plastics and non-recyclable materials in their packaging, and we are happy to be supporting them in their mission to change the way they package their products.

Hotel Chocolat pack and ship their existing online orders in our Lil Breezebox range of postal packaging, across 5 different sizes that are designed to perfectly compliment Hotel Chocolat’s range of products, from chocolate hampers and drinks through to coco infused cosmetics and candles. The Lil Breezebox is made with a crash lock base which reduces time to pack significantly when compared with standard cardboard boxes. It seems to be the perfect solution to the chocolate giants dilemma. Alongside these changes, self-adhesive Breezepaper was also brought in to provide an 100% recyclable alternative to polystyrene packing peanuts.

hotel chocolat plastic free packaging Lil

Not only does this mean reducing Hotel Chocolat’s plastic usage, but it also means their goods can arrive in style with luxury packaging without the added guilt of disposing of environmentally damaging single use plastics. Hotel Chocolat has also seen a huge reduction in the time it takes to package its product in the warehouse - saving up to 1 minute per order.

Changes made By Hotel Chocolat so far

hotel chocolat plastic free cupsFollowing this, the company is making big changes in their cafes and restaurants too. With being amongst the first to ban plastic straws, alongside this all of their cups, spoons and napkins are now 100% compostable and recyclable.

Even the lids of the takeaway cups are now made from sustainable and compostable corn starch instead of plastic. Hotel Chocolat are also putting other incentives in place to drive their customers to share their passion for the planet. Including offering a 50p discount on your drink when you bring your own cup to one of their cafes.

 

The changes don’t stop at plastic, in terms of paper and cardboard packaging each product sold by Hotel Chocolat will include easy to follow how-to guides when it comes to recycling their products. All of their ranges will display this, so it will be as simple as flipping over the box to see how to recycle your packaging (this takes all of the guess work out of recycling and will reduce contamination problems currently plaguing recycling centers).

Hotel Chocolat are also keen to advise that they’ve saved a massive 125 tonnes of cardboard by recycling the boxes sent to the stores. The ways in which they are implementing this is by sending out products in boxes, after which they are unpacked, carefully broken down and sent back to the factory, ready for their next trip.

Hotel Chocolat plastic free packaging compostable and recyclable

The future for Hotel Chocolat Packaging, Plastics and more

By 2021 Hotel Chocolat are hoping for a range which is 100% economically friendly and Lil Packaging hopes to continue to support their ethos around this, and we genuinely can’t wait to see what the future holds. 

If your business is looking to step up to the plate and invest in becoming more sustainable, we offer an assortment of eco friendly packaging solutions, including boxes, envelopes, mailers and more - plastic free, printed with plant based inks and ready to recycle. To learn more, talk to our mail happy team today.

 

Click here to read Hotel Chocolat's CSR Policy

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