NEWS | Restaurants are opting for sustainable food packaging post pandemic

More than just eco-friendly products, brands and consumers are now preferring home compostable products that don’t require an industrial machine to decompose.

For Yash Pakka, a homegrown compostable packaging brand, the key focus is on delivery solutions and bag products for this year. The company is also in the process of establishing the largest factory in the country for food wrapping products (butter paper which is grease resistant).

The brand has a 40-year-old legacy and over the years, the company has diversified into three categories: Paper, Moulded Products, and Compostable Value Added Products like egg trays. Pioneers in the sustainable and compostable packaging industry, the company also recovers 95 percent of cooking chemicals used to manufacture the pulp, thereby making it even more environment-friendly.

The company has tied up with a number of brands including Haldiram’s, Lite Bite Foods, Google, HMS Host, Inox, PVR, Amazon, Chai Point, Starbucks, and Fab Café. Over the years, the company has witnessed a gradual shift away from single-use plastic. However, this has been accelerated over the past few years. Today, there is a fast-rising concern for environmental sustainability and awareness among consumers. More than ever, consumers are becoming conscious of what they are purchasing, consuming, and finally receiving.

“Especially during the pandemic, we have seen a significant shift wherein people are saying ‘no’ to using plastics owing to health concerns. As a result, there has been an increased focus on choosing sustainable and eco-friendly products. Seeing this shift, several QSR and restaurants have already switched to eco-friendly packaging and tableware,” Amit Sharma, CEO, Compostables Business, Yash Pakka Ltd said.

Sharma further informed that another shift in preferences is being witnessed in the industry. More than just eco-friendly products, brands and consumers prefer home compostable products that don’t require an industrial machine to decompose. “This is where our products made from agro-residue i.e sugarcane bagasse with no harmful chemicals come into the picture,” he added.