Our Position On Sustainability

Written by Nuzest Founder & CEO - Trevor Bolland

We are very conscious of sustainability and the need to take care of our environment. Whilst the safety and integrity of our products, and therefore your health, takes priority in our choices, we are continually assessing sustainable options.
 

We produce plant-based products; a plant-based diet being both good for health and good for the planet. Our protein source, pea, is a sustainable crop. Peas return nitrogen to the soil naturally and use less water and soil than in the production of other proteins.
 

Our supplier of our main raw material barges in its peas, uses no chemicals in the isolation process, purifies and recycles the water it uses and turns waste into biofuel and animal feed. They are also nearly 100% self-sufficient in power generation.
 

We deliberately use HDPE plastic jars because they:

1. Are 100% recyclable
2. Can easily be repurposed for a range of innovative uses.
3. Are the safest and most suitable containers for food to maintain shelf-life and integrity

Whilst the technologies of compostable and biodegradable packaging material are rapidly advancing, their ideal use as a substitute for current HDPE plastic is still in question in terms of being both an answer for the environment and an appropriate packaging material for food.

Most compostable plastics require special industrial composting facilities which are scarce or absent, even in the developed world, with inefficient or non-existent collection systems. They mostly end up in landfill.

There is still a large question over the breakdown of many biodegradable plastics; the environmental or industrial conditions required, the time they take to degrade and most of all, the problem of microplastics being left in the soil or the sea. Microplastics are said to present a greater environmental danger than plastic itself, which is more easily cleared.

The often-touted environmentally friendly choice of cardboard cannisters is misleading. Firstly, the use of cardboard itself places even more demand on logging trees (unless recycled cardboard is used). Secondly, but more importantly, the cannisters require a foil lining to achieve the air and water-tight integrity required for good food storage. Recycling facilities are scarce; cannisters generally go to landfill. And if facilities can be found, the way this material is recycled is for the cardboard to be burned (producing more CO2 emissions) only to recover the foil.

We are confident that science will solve the plastic problem and that the world will provide readily accessible and reliable recycling and disposal systems to attend to, and reduce, the hazards of waste and toxic pollution. We expect that a proven, reliable, and readily available alternative to HDPE plastic is not too far away. When it is, we will enthusiastically embrace it. Until that time we believe that our current packaging is the most suitable available for both food safety and the environment.

The information provided in this article is intended for educational purposes only and is general advice. It should not, nor is it intended to be, relied on as a substitute for individual medical advice or care. If the contents of this, or any other of the blogs in this series raises any concerns or questions regarding your health, please consult a qualified healthcare practitioner.