Tackling plastic head on to save our ecosystem
Plastic is firmly in the hot seat. Only a few years ago everyone was sipping drinks with plastic straws. Now, if we are served a plastic straw we are horrified. Don’t get us wrong, plastic straws are by no means the be all and end all, and I’m almost laughing at myself to think I get horrified at a plastic straw when I think of other things I could be doing I am sure.
Since plastics’ introduction in 1907, it has dominated our lives and is so commonly used there is now 8 million tonnes washed into the ocean a year.
According to reports, 91% of plastics never make it into recycling but find their way into our ecosystem.
So, how can we tackle this problem from a different angle?
Being plastic negative is to remove twice as much plastic from the environment as we produce. Plastic negative brands often work with plastic negative initiatives, while pledging to make their own efforts to remove as much plastic from their own products and supply chains as they can.
Over one billion* single use plastic confectionary wrappers are thrown away in the UK every single year! That is 20 million wrappers a week taking decades to erode.
One brand doing taking efforts to remove single-use plastic waste is Prodigy Snacks no less - a chocolate company!! Not only that, but the UK’s first plastic negative chocolate and a certified plastic negative product.
Prodigy wrappers are biodegradable and compostable and will decompose over a dramatically shorter time than the plastic foil single-use wrapper of a typical chocolate bar. If any of these wrappers do find their way into the ecosystem, they will naturally biodegrade over a period of 12-24 months instead of decades.
Read on dear reader..Prodigy haven’t finished there. In April 2021, they announced a partnership with rePurpose Global to help counter the pollution of plastic and to start to help clear up after the big players.
For every Prodigy bar sold, they are now funding the removal of 10 ocean-bound plastic wrappers from the environment.
Their bars are also 100% plant based and have a relatively low carbon footprint compared to most mainstream chocolate brands. Wishing to limit their impact further on the environment however, Prodigy signed up to work on establishing and off-setting its product-based carbon footprint, with Climate Partner in February 2021.
Prodigy are plastic negative, they are passionately driven in off-setting their carbon footprint and in addition they really are fantastic chocolate makers! Prodigy are re-creating some of the absolute classic chocolate bars with all the taste and half the sugar. Our favourite is the Peanut Caramel Cahoots Chocolate Bar and also the Chunky Orange Chocolate Bar.
If you missed them in the November JOMO Box, you can explore their full range and pick your favourite flavours or buy a variety pack for the full experience on their website here.
Enjoy a 25% JOMO discount valid until December 2021 using ‘JOMO25’!