Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Going Green with Solo Brand - Bare

I know what you are all thinking - ‘how can a company that makes disposable products possibly be considered Green?’ and if you saw my leaf rating tag at the top of the post you might be even more curious. Well read on to learn about the entirely new, environmentally responsible side called Solo Bare™!

We have likely all had experiences with the Solo brand; their plastic cups have practically become synonymous with the word ‘party’ in the past 73 years since the company’s inception. Their cups are instantly recognizable for their shape and color. They can be rinsed and reused, or even recycled, but more often than not they are simply tossed into a garbage bag and thrown away. The centuries it will take for this plastic to degrade times the number of parties Americans throw every year equals a huge landfill problem.

But most party goers want something convenient and easy, something they can simply be done with at the end of a night full of laughter and fun.

Enter Solo Bare™ (Bringing Alternative Resources for the Environment).

With plates made from sugar cane and bamboo in the Bare dinnerware line, and cups created from either plant based materials or 25% post-consumer recycled content in the Bare drinkware line, Solo just put a new twist on the old stand by!

The compostable** sugar cane plates come in three sizes for all party needs and are square with high edges so food will not spill out. They are free of chlorine, ink and dye and are cut resistant as well as microwave safe.

The renewable plates created from bamboo fiber are a khaki color, round, and also have a deep well for food. They are also microwave safe and take advantage of a fiber sourced from a rapidly renewable resource which can sustain a new crop in approximately 5 years as opposed to tree based paper which can take upwards of 40 to fully mature.

Solo Bare, 14 oz cups are created from plant based materials, (likely corn starch in the US) and are either compostable or recyclable. The larger 18 oz clear drink cups are made utilizing 25% post consumer recycled content and are also recyclable.

Now it would be imperative to recycle the 18 oz cups as they are PET based plastic and without a commercial composting facility available it would also be difficult to ensure suggested disposal of the sugar cane plates or 14oz cups, so this is my only reservation. Party goers and hosts would need to be diligent in practicing proper recycling disposal of these items.

But with such a progressive concept, especially where the bamboo plates are concerned, I am impressed with this giant leap forward from such a well known company as Solo and am granting a Four Leaf Rating to the entire line!


Keep the innovation for new and eco-forward™ concepts flowing Solo and you will remain the number one purveyor of party products for a long time to come!
♥love♥

Visit the Bare by Solo website for coupons and to find a retailer who carries the product in your area as well as to read about the Keep America Beautiful campaign which Solo is a big part of sponsoring and taking action with. Hooray!


** all composting of materials must be done in commercial facilities. Bio-plastics will degrade in approximately 90 days in this type of environment as opposed to upwards of 500 years for petroleum based plastics sitting in a landfill.

4 comments:

disabled account said...

i saw some disposable plates and flatware in sur la table that were made from bamboo and was actually a little mortified because they were perfectly washable and reusable. they weren't like these, they looked and felt like stuff you can put in the dishwasher and use over and over as normal place settings...and they were made to just throw away! i told some guy standing next to me that i was amazed at the disposable culture we live in and this stuff (expensive) was just proof that some people have too much money.

this stuff looks more like it! go solo!

Josh said...

You know, the Adam Sandler movie shooting in Southborough and Essex is using all this stuff at catering. They also gave out metal water bottles for the crew. Just don't put anything hot in the cups, they melt right before you eyes.

Josh

Anonymous said...

Since I don't use disposable plates and cups anymore, I'm beginning to appreciate REAL plates and REAL cups at home.

I buy Corning Ware from outlet stores. They are light and inexpensive and perfect for parties and picnics. If they break, it's not going to hurt my wallet that much. And they are totally reusable!!! Besides, Corning Ware is almost indestructible. They come in all kinds of pretty patterns but I simply love the plain white. It makes the food colors stand out more. And if you break them, you can replace the pattern easily because they never discontinue whites.

As much as companies try their best to cater towards the "disposable generation" by inventing these eco friendly disposable plates or those bamboo plates that Ginger is talking about (Ginger, I thought the same thing about them, btw) I think, reusing real plates are still the better choice. Just my opinion....

Judi FitzPatrick said...

I am torn by this. Although they sound good, I personally don't want to have to access a commercial composting facility for anything. I compost all my own food scraps right in my own yard. So that would be a negative.
I do think it is a good thing on Solo's part that they are at least willing to go the extra steps to help keep the planet in better condition.
As for myself, last get-together I used "real" plates and only plastic flatware, which is recyclable, only because my "real" flatware might end up in the trash otherwise.
Thanks for sharing this, good to know about.
Peace, Judi