To-Go Ware: Wave Your Disposables Goodbye
by Libuse Binder
Published on February 9th, 2009
6 Comments
The “Company Profile” is an Earth911.com series highlighting consumer goods and services making a difference through product stewardship and recycling. Products and services featured do not pay for placement and are not endorsed by Earth911.com.
For anyone who has ever tried to scoop ice cream with a plastic spoon or cut bread with a plastic knife, you know that disposable utensils have very practical limitations. But did you also know that most plastic utensils are not recyclable?
Stephanie Bernstein, CEO and Founder of To-Go Ware, realized just how detrimental to-go plastics were to the environment during a mundane college excursion. “The initial spark was when I was in my early 20s and went out for ice cream with friends. We were served in takeaway plastic containers, even though we were eating there. You could see that stores were switching to throwing stuff away,” she recalls.
While Bernstein never planned on starting a company to address this issue, she remembered the moment years ago in the ice cream parlor and seized the opportunity when she had the chance to start selling reusable bamboo utensils.
A bamboo utensil set and a stainless steel food carrier from To-Go Ware. - To-goware.com
More Than Just Knives and Forks
Today, To-Go Ware sells everything you need to enjoy your meals on-the-go without any paper or plastic waste. Their line of products now includes:
- Stackable Stainless Steel Food Carriers
- Bamboo Flatware Sets
- Recycled Cotton Food Carrier Bags
Now 33, Bernstein started To-Go Ware in 2004 at the ripe old age of 28, and for several years she was the company. Bernstein hired her first employee in 2007 when she began working full-time as the CEO.
Reducing Everyone’s Forkprint
Single-use plastics such as the kind found in disposable utensils and many to-go containers are often not recyclable and are usually discarded after one use. To-Go Ware is encouraging consumers to stop using disposables by providing an alternative solution.
According to Bernstein, “We will never produce our items from a virgin petroleum plastic resource. We are trying to increase the lifespan of products and to discourage planned obsolescence by selling an ethically sourced item that is useful.” To-Go Ware’s employees in the U.S. and abroad are also paid a fair wage, and the company is a member of Green America and adheres to the organization’s strict ethical business standards.
To-Go Ware’s growing customer base is a clear sign that consumers are demanding products that are sustainably manufactured by businesses that embrace the ethos of the triple bottom line (people, planet and profit). Bernstein says there is evidence everywhere of our environmental woes, and consumers are clearly starting to respond with the power of their dollars.
“There has been a huge growth curve in people’s understanding of where products are coming from, and when you have an ethically sourced item, you have the type of business that in today’s climate will naturally grow,” she says. To-Go Ware grew 300 percent in 2007 and 2008, demonstrating that the market for sustainable goods may well be recession-proof.
Innovative Growth
To-Go Ware is in the process of launching a utensil wrap made from recycled plastic bottles and has already started selling a line of utensil wraps made from recycled plastic bags. To date, the members of the NGO (non-governmental organization) Conserve have pulled almost a million plastic bags out of the landfills in India to make the new product. Bernstein says, “We want to find ways to re-purpose and extend the life cycle of things that are already out there.”
Bernstein continues to work with her employees and partners to find ways to pull more out of the waste stream as To-Go Ware embraces a “cradle to cradle” model. The company will be expanding their line of stainless steel food carriers and will be marketing to parents who want to send their kids to school with a waste-free lunch.
Favorite R?
As a maker of reusable products, it is clear where Bernstein’s loyalties lie. “Reuse implies reduction, and reuse is a better solution than recycling. Producing goods is generally resource intensive, but with a reusable item like stainless steel food containers, you can rationalize the time and energy it took. It can be just as resource intensive to make a paper cup, and it gets thrown away in three minutes.”
Beej
posted on February 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
OK, I don’t think I get it. Is To-Go ware supposed to replace the containers that take out food is delivered in? Or is this a container that people are supposed to put their food they prepare at home in when they want to take it with them? If it’s for take out from a restaurant, then how do you get the restaurant to put the food in the To-Go Ware?
Beej
posted on February 10th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I don’t entirely understand the purpose of this product. Are we supposed to somehow get restaurants to pack take out food in these instead of in the plastic containers they use? How does that work?
Also, why do I need a bamboo spoon? Can’t I just use a metal one from my drawer in the kitchen? For years I’ve had a knife, fork and spoon set in my desk drawer at work that I brought from home. It works just as well at work as it does at home.
Greg
posted on February 10th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Beej…its pretty simple. YES, you are supposed to pack your take out food into them. ou can easily do it yourself or you can ask the wait staff – I have a to go ware set and have done this and its never been a problem. If they are confused, you can speak up and educate them about why and what. And you dont “need” a bamboo spoon. However, a lot of people enjoy using bamboo or wood with their food (like me) and the more we use bamboo the more gets planted and bamboo is actually one of the most sustainable resources we have and should use more of it.
enigma
posted on April 8th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Next question:
What about picking up to-go food? It is usually packed before you get there. What about to-go food that is delivered – how do you get them to use the products?
Honestly, although I think it is a good idea for somone looking to purchase containers for left–overs or dishes to pass, I frankly would currently take my tupperware that is clogging my cupboards since my wedding and some silverware out of my drawer (re-use) if I were to start taking my own dishes for my doggy bag.
Jere
posted on July 3rd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
While this is all a good idea and I especially like the idea of using bamboo utinsils. I believe we all have too much plastic in our homes already. I have too much and intend to use it to give baked goods as holliday gifts to get rid of it. Frankly I think if one wants to truly recycle and not create more waste one may use their own dishes. At least 90% or more of us in the United States have everyday dishes that are also for guest use as well. The take out container is cute but again it’s another item to store in the cabinet. I think it would make a good lunch carrier though. It’s unfortunate that we’re mostly taught through advertising what to buy and unfortunate we’re a nation of instant gratification and a throw away society. I feel overwhelmed with the ongoing irrisponsibility of the market as a whole..thank you.
Lee
posted on September 14th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Jere,
many years ago when I was a child, my mother taught me to recycle.
Mom’s favorite saying was “waste not, want not!”
Of course, a few of the items she saved were possible hiding places for all sorts of germs (mom even recycled aluminum foil and plastic bags!) To this day I reuse as much as possible, including little bits of leftover meat or veggies which combined with the right touch of spices makes a wonderful soup or a tasty omelet.So, I’m all for recycling but I draw the line with disposing of plasticware that I already own, why would you do that…..isn’t that kind of defeating the whole recycling idea? I do agree with you that we are prone to succumb to all the marketplace advertising………that’s another thing to work on!!