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February 27, 2019

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To celebrate the launch of our plastic-free packaging, (read more here) we decided to set ourselves the challenge of a Plastic-Free February - a whole month where we did not bring any plastic wrapped food into the Palava studio.

There would be no cheese for Bryony, Annabel would have to go without her Chocolate digestives and Leah would have to give up her bags of apples. In fact, we had to re-think every single element of our eating habits. Some of the switches were easy, some have proved to be quiet a challenge.

TEA

We’re all big lovers of classic Yorkshire Tea here but did you know that most teabags have plastic in them, including our beloved Yorkshire? Good news is, the team over at Yorkshire Tea are currently phasing out the plastic from their tea-bags (read more about it here). Frustratingly, for us though, every Yorkshire Tea box comes wrapped in plastic which meant it was it was a no-no for this month.

Loose leaf tea initially seemed an obvious solution… that is until we realised that it, again, comes packaged in plastic. Teapigs are pretty great it turns out. Their teabags and packaging are biodegradable and their tea is delicious too (especially the Chai!)

And of course, you cannot have a good cup of tea without a generous splash of milk. We found a local milk delivery service and now have old-fashioned glass bottles of milk left out on our studio doorstep in the morning. This was perhaps the easiest (and most beautifully nostalgic!) switch we made - and one that we can continue with ease.

LUNCH

There is almost nothing in a conventional supermarket that does not have plastic as part of it’s packaging. This was a big eye-opener for us.

We’re lucky to have a small market stall selling a variety of unwrapped fruit and veg just around the corner from our studio and also and old-fashioned bakery where we can buy unwrapped bread. So whilst we definitely had less choice about what we could buy for lunch, it was still possible to eat!

After the first week, we were craving some carb alternative to bread and potatoes. Hackney City Farm's 'Get Loose' was the answer to our prayers. It stocks all kinds of loose grains, pulses and pastas - as well as many other delicious (plastic-free) treats.

GOING FORWARD

When we started this project, we had no idea how dependent we were on plastic. We have just talked about food here but it's fascinating (and a bit horrifying!) to take a look around the room you are sitting in and start to clock everything that's made of plastic.

As a final bit of inspiration, we have decided to list the top tips and tricks that you have shared with us over the past month for reducing plastic in our daily lives. We have been so inspired by your enthusiasm for our campaign - and we can't wait to share with you some of our other ethical projects which will be coming to light over the next few months.

In the meantime, read on and be inspired by the amazing things that fellow Palava customers are doing to make this world a cleaner, more plastic free place.