I go the extra mile to make sure everything about my business is sustainable as possible. Here’s what that means:
Parchment circles and sheets drying after being washed in the Electric Blue kitchen.
1. Paper goods: Bakeries are some of the most wasteful businesses in the food industry. Most commercial bakeries throw away pound after pound of paper and plastic on a constant basis. Here’s how I cut down:
- Parchment: Unbleached, recycled parchment sheets lined with naturally-derived silicone are used. They are washed and re-used multiple times.
- Piping Bags: Cloth piping bags are washed and re-used instead of the typical disposable plastic ones seen at most bakeries.
- Cake circles: At the moment, I make my own cake circles out of recycled cardboard. I recently discovered 70% recycled cake circles, which will eventually replace the labor-intensive, homemade ones.
- Cake boxes: At the moment, I don’t use them. Cakes are delivered in a sturdy tupperware cake carrier, or donuts in reusable aluminum catering trays. Eventually, those will be replaced with 100% recycled boxes.
- Towels: I operate a paper-towel free kitchen. Instead, cotton side towels are washed and re-used. (See this post for more info.)
- Storage: Sturdy, plastic pint and quart containers are washed and re-used.
- Bags: Plastic storage bags are washed and re-used for doughs and batters. When shopping, reusable cloth shopping bags are used.
All of this amounts to more work, aka “elbow grease,” on my part. Where another bakery simply tosses something in the garbage, I am scrubbing, scraping, drying, sorting. But the value in the word “sustainable” outweighs that extra labor.
2. Cleaning: Dish soap is made from biodegradable, coconut-derived surfactants. Kitchen cleaning solution is made with botanical extracts and natural sulfectants.
3. Carbon footprint: All of my baked goods are delivered locally. This cuts down on emissions caused by long distance transport. I (sadly for many) also do not ship my products. But this cuts down on my carbon footprint and on wasteful packaging.
I source local ingredients wherever possible. For example, flours come from a mill in Upstate New York. Or, in-season produce is from the Greenmarket. I also patronize local businesses for ingredients and supplies.
4. Packaging: All the plastic packaging I use is made from PLA, corn-based plastic. It is biodegradable and petroleum-free. The cups are, too. The paper food trays I use are 100% recycled, biodegradable, unbleached and dye-free.
Smorgasburg was one place I practiced sustainability. Here, customers enjoy frito pie served right in the bag of chips, eliminating the need for a plate.
Electric Blue is registered on the site www.bestrawfree.org, which means we are a straw-free business. Did you know that over 500 MILLION straws are used/thrown away in the United States every day?
5. Ingredients: Ingredients are purchased in bulk to cut down on packaging. Most ingredients are organic, which means less synthetic chemicals are used to produce it. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides can pollute waterways and soil and have a negative impact on living things, including humans.
Electric Blue is vegan. This means no any animal derived products like meat, eggs, dairy or animal by-products. Animal waste from industrial livestock operations cause some of the most deadly diseases, like swine flu. They also cause substantial environmental damage. Farming animals for food, including the way they are treated, is not sustainable and uses a disproportionately large amount or resources that could be used to make more food for humans. And a better life for us all.
It wouldn’t make sense to operate my business in any way different from the way I operate my life. By operating sustainably, I am staying true to myself. It also echoes the philosophy behind my food.
My advice to other bakeries that would like to cut down is: go for it. At first, it will seem like a lot more work. But in the end, you will save money, decrease your negative impact on the environment, and inspire others to make a difference.
Moving forward, I would like to learn more about composting. And to become involved in a local food pantry/community garden. Both of these are important to me and are ways to take sustainability one step further.
What other ways could a bakery could be sustainable?
