April 20, 2023
We are all part of the change, but some still resist reusable: We want to change that! As a measure, we are now asking our partners to charge a small fee when single-use plastic is dispensed. This not only reduces costs, but also increases acceptance of the reusable alternative. However, our system will remain free of charge for customers.
In countries such as Estonia, one-way pricing starting at 50 ct is already common practice, which saves the country considerable amounts of packaging waste. But some German restaurateurs have also shifted their focus to reusable alternatives since the 2023 mandatory reusable offer. Two of our partners have already taken appropriate measures: 957 Ramen Bar and Lauris Küstendiner. In our article, they report on their fight against single-use packaging.
The 957 Ramen Bar in Marburg is run by Mika and offers various ramen soups and other Japanese specialties. Mika has been a Vytal partner for more than two years because she was most convinced by our concept and bowls: "I think Vytal as a system and also the bowls are very good, the sizes fit our dishes super". The noodles/topings and the liquids are delivered separately to guarantee freshness - thus the L and M Bowls (1250 and 750 ml) are released the most.
If Mika has his way, Vytal has an advantage over the competition: "With deposit systems, I don't feel that environmental awareness is awakened at the same time. Then a lot accumulates and is not returned promptly. The free period of two weeks at Vytal is enough and so everything comes back into the system faster." Mika and her team work as sustainably as they can and that's why they didn't want to offer plastic. Still, a problem arose: "Paper or sugar cane are very expensive. By charging for disposables, we wanted to promote the reusable option and cover our own costs. I also already notice that I have to reorder less disposable packaging."
She only sees advantages in the fee on disposable packaging: "I would recommend all partners to charge fees for disposable plastic, because otherwise nothing changes. Reusable must always be better represented. It is our responsibility for the next generation that a rethink happens. If you charge a fee and thus make single-use less attractive, you can do your part."
Lauri's Küstendiner has also been a Vytal partner for two years. Owner Lauri offers burgers, spare ribs, chicken wings, cheese fries and BBQ dishes at his American Diner in Dagebüll. The most he gives out are our L Bowls (1250 ml) and the Burger Boxes. He started Vytal for a simple reason: "When we could only offer out-of-home food in the first Lockdown, it bothered me extremely how much waste was produced as a result and the guests sometimes just left the packaging on the street or at our harbor."
He is very satisfied with Vytal and now only offers returnables for his out-of-home business: "In my opinion, Vytal is the best reusable packaging system available at the moment because it is fair for the customer and the restaurateur. It's easy to use and adds value." However, Lauri's basic principle is that "you don't put good food in garbage." So he has a piece of advice for potential and existing partners:inside: "Don't always think about why something doesn't work or that customers supposedly don't want it. Just implement it and do it! (...) We were the only restaurant to introduce reusables here in the last few years and it has always worked great. Above all, ordering via the app is a huge labor-saver and there are also no misunderstandings when it comes to ordering or pick-up time."
As you can see, there are many possibilities to use our system and adapt it to the conditions on site. If you still have concerns, write to us or call us - we will be happy to advise you! Otherwise, we look forward to you being part of the change and making reusable the standard.
