How did you come up with the idea of using compostable plastic-free foil as packaging?
We knew that somehow we had to find another, more environmentally friendly material to wrap our chocolates. That was in 2009/2010. We did a lot of research and finally came across NatureFlex, who produce compostable foil based on wood cellulose. The foil looks like conventional plastic, but rather than being made from petroleum, it is made from wood pulp and therefore compostable. I remember that it was a long and difficult decision. You have to imagine that especially back then and even now, the costs for such a specific, plastic-free packaging solution are extremely high. Why is this? This technology is relatively new, has a limited number of suppliers and uses renewable resources, where the unfractured is not set up optimally yet in the volumes that usually allow economies of scale (and lower prices). Lower volumes means for us a high cost. Even with these considerations, this foil seemed to us to be the only truly sustainable packaging, and worth the invest. Of course, we would prefer not to use any packaging at all, but we’re on a mission to help people understand the cacao can be enjoyed differently - raw, low processed, vegan and less sugar - and that does mean we need a place to share our message. It would be cool to not only be the first chocolate with plastic-free packaging, but to be packaging-free. (laughs) Unfortunately, we haven’t figure that out yet due to hygiene regulations, but almost all stores require a product packed ready to buy.
So we decided on the wood cellulose-based compostable and plastic-free foil. In the beginning, we didn't print anything on the foil, but we changed that three years ago when we were certified to use the plastic-free logo from A Plastic Planet. We had often heard from consumers that they didn't even realise that our packaging was plastic free, so we decided to take this step. It is now even mentioned on the foil that it is made of wood cellulose.