Due to the sheer amount of foodware products on the market and rampant greenwashing, navigating the world of plastic alternatives isn’t easy. That’s why Surfrider has released the Ocean Friendly Foodware Guide 2.0 to help restaurants stay informed and increase awareness of what's on the market today.
This new foodware guide is an updated version of the first Ocean Friendly Foodware Guide which was launched in 2020. Since the first version was introduced, the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on the restaurant industry and greatly increased the public’s reliance on single-use plastic takeout items. Despite this setback, governments at global, federal, state, and local levels have pushed for more sustainable packaging and single-use plastic bans. This increased awareness of the plastic pollution crisis and the ensuing policy actions have resulted in an expansion of good, bad, and sometimes in-between alternative products entering the market.
Surfrider’s brand new Ocean Friendly Foodware Guide 2.0 is designed to equip restaurants with tools to avoid greenwashing and choose the best Ocean Friendly products for their businesses.
Components of the Ocean Friendly Foodware Guide 2.0 include:
- Updated definitions of common labels and buzzwords
- A decision matrix to help review products and avoid greenwashing
- Case studies of real OFRs
- Buying guide with new products categorized as ‘best choice,' 'good alternative,' and ‘what to avoid’
- Exclusive vendor discounts for OFRs
Thank you for being a member of the Surfrider Foundation’s Ocean Friendly Restaurants program! If you are not yet a member, you can sign up today or reach out to your local chapter or club for more information. One restaurant, one customer at a time – together, we are increasing awareness, driving behavior change, and ultimately creating scalable impact to reduce our collective plastic footprint.