TACKLING PLASTIC POLLUTION

Our Environmental Responsibility

So what’s all this fuss about our transition to eco-friendly packaging? Well, in short plastic pollution is a very real problem in our world today. The consumer goods market that we are in is a significant culprit in the problem.

First, a little history.

The mass production of plastic began in the 1950’s and has led to technological advancement in almost all industries. The creation of this versatile material took the world by storm and is now deeply entrenched in our everyday lives. Annual plastic production has increased from about 2 million metric tons in 1950 to over 359 million metric tons in 2018.

Plastic was initially created with good intentions. Scientists hoped that plastic production would conserve some of the planet’s natural resources by serving as an alternative to materials like wood and stone. The outcome was quite the opposite, as the increase of production has led to dangerous environmental outcomes. In less than a century, over 8.5 billion metric tons of plastic have been produced. It is estimated that 79% of that plastic remains in landfills to this day.

Undoubtedly, the Food industry has been a major contributor to the plastic pollution problem. An estimated 50% of annual plastic production is utilized for single-use plastics, many of which are used to package food. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that food and food packaging accounts for nearly 50% of all municipal solid waste - aka trash!

What we're doing about it.

A key issue with most single-use plastic used in the food industry is that it can take decades or even hundreds of years to decompose. Plastic used to package what is consumed in an instant generates waste with a long term and hazardous presence in our environment. With these issues in mind, we wanted to be a part of the solution by doing our best to get out of the trash business. Our new eco-friendly packaging is aimed at reducing waste as 60% of each bag can break down naturally within a few months in the proper composting environment.

We realize that our new bags are not perfect, but they are one of the most sustainable options that current packaging technology allows for beef jerky. We believe that there are always costs outside of financial statements that must be considered when operating a business. It is our mission to continuously seek solutions that limit, and hopefully one day eliminate, the negative impact our business has on the environment.