Sustainability in Action: Going Plastic Neutral
If you’ve been following along on Montanya Distillers’ sustainability journey, then you know some wins are easier than others. Forgoing plastic straws and bags? No problem. Figuring out how to eliminate waste completely, particularly given limitations to recycling? That’s another challenge altogether.
It’s why we’re thrilled to announce our latest step to reduce and eliminate waste: Montanya Distillers is now certified Plastic Neutral through a partnership with rePurpose Global. As you’ll read below, this innovative organization is helping us offset our plastic use by funding the collection, processing and removal of nature-bound plastic.
Read on to learn more about why we’ve taken this step, how it works, and how you can join the fight against the proliferation of plastic in the natural environment—when you participate in the challenge below during January 2021 we’ll donate additional funds to rePurpose Global and enter you into a drawing for a reusable Zoetica Life kit and Happy Wraps to eliminate plastic in your life (be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom for this info).
Why Plastic is a Problem
When you live in a relatively pristine mountain environment like we do, it’s easy to think that plastic pollution isn’t a problem. The magnitude of the issue is hidden from us on a day-to-day basis. In reality:
Americans discard more than 30 million tons of plastic a year, and only 8 percent gets recycled. The rest piles up in landfills, is incinerated or becomes litter. It’s also true that placing your plastic into the recycling bin is no guarantee of proper processing.
50-80% of debris found in marine environments is plastic, found on the seabed and beaches, clogging rivers and drifting in the sea. A total of 660 species are known to encounter plastic debris, affecting the food chain from the smallest phytoplankton to top predators such as whales and birds.
50% of plastic used in the U.S. is used once and then thrown away. In addition to the issues related to waste, we think about the energy that goes into making something that will only be used one time.
rePurpose Global in particular is shining a light on the way that plastic waste contributes to a cycle of poverty in the developing world (see slide below).
Image courtesy rePurpose Global.
Plastic Use at Montanya Distillers
Over the last few years, we’ve made great strides toward eliminating and reducing plastic waste across all parts of our business. We don’t use plastic in our packaging, plastic straws no longer come with our cocktails, and we host only waste-free rum education events. We’ve also found partners to help us recycle plastics that curbside recycling won’t pick up, like plastic wrap.
That said, the reality of the world today is that plastic is everywhere. Our corks come in plastic bags, and our cases of bottles come on pallets wrapped in plastic. Then there’s the food industry—so many food items come in plastic, and it shows in our measurements. The Tasting Room bar and restaurant account for just over 70% of our plastic use (see pie chart).
Tackling these sources of plastic is a bigger challenge than replacing plastic straws with stainless steel, particularly taking into account the limitations of recycling. As a result, we were thrilled to discover rePurpose Global.
The rePurpose Global Solution
The founders of rePurpose Global created the world’s first Plastic Credit Platform. They recognized that thousands of innovative programs already exist around the world to tackle the plastic waste problem—they simply lack proper funding. rePurpose Global connects plastic users with these on-the-ground programs. Here’s how it works:
rePurpose Global funds existing, vetted solutions to tackling the plastic waste epidemic.
People and businesses calculate their plastic use
They offset that use by helping to fund on-the-ground solutions to plastic waste
Those innovative programs remove and process plastic from the natural environment
rePurpose Global verifies the impact and certifies the plastic users as Plastic Neutral
The organization also advises companies on how to reduce plastic use
By joining rePurpose Global, Montanya Distillers has achieved a Net Zero Plastic Footprint. Our funding helps remove over 1,000 lbs of low-value plastic waste otherwise landfilled, burned, or flushed into the oceans every year. We love knowing that those funds go to vetted programs and help collect and process hard-to-recycle waste streams too low in value to be reclaimed from the environment, such as chocolate wrappers, chip packets, and similar packaging items. (In a future blog post we’ll introduce you to Montanya Distiller’s Impact Partner.)
How You Can Take Action
You don’t have to be a business to become involved in the Plastic Neutral movement or to support rePurpose Global’s work. You can calculate your plastic footprint using rePurpose Global’s Plastic Footprint Calculator and consider offsetting your plastic use. It can also make a big difference to commit to eliminating one type of plastic for a month, if not the year. To-go cups, which have a plastic-based lining on the inside, are a great place to start.