The next British breakthrough

Renowned for creating aspirational culinary moments, Payne & Gunter are the caterer of choice for some of the UK’s most cherished events. Among these is the legendary BRIT Awards where - this year - Notpla joined the band, stepped on stage and showed the world how simple it is to switch to sustainable packaging solutions.

Payne & Gunter's team, in conjunction with Levy UK  selected Notpla's natural, seaweed-coated food packaging to serve thousands of meals in style at food kiosks in during the 2023 ceremony at The O2:

“We always seek out the most sustainable options for our customers, so were delighted to discover Notpla after seeing their success with the Earthshot Prize. Not only a truly plastic-free solution, but one that also aligns with our commitment to quality.”
- Lucy Fulford, Operations Manager, Payne & Gunter

Step forward, seaweed

Globally abundant and among the fastest-growing resources on our planet, seaweed is a fantastic solution for businesses looking to respond to the swell of consumer demand for greater efforts to restore our planet's health. Unlike its land-grown counterparts, seaweed doesn't require fresh water, fertiliser and it doesn't compete for arable land. In fact, seaweed actively reduces ocean acidification and effectively absorbs carbon, making it one of the greatest weapons against climate change in the food service industry.

In line with the EU Single-Use Plastic Directive, which aims to ban synthetic materials such as PLA, PHA and other bio-plastics, our award winning coating technology means that the packaging can be recycled without contaminating existing paper streams.

Thanks to their forward-looking approach to sustainability, Payne & Gunter were able to contribute to a cleaner, lower-emission event and cut down drastically on plastic pollution at the BRITs. Notpla's packaging provided them with the functionality and dependable quality that they expect from their food-to-go boxes and trays, but with none of the plastic. To ensure a seamless switch from the traditional, plastic packaging that's commonly used by food vendors in stadiums, Notpla’s sustainable packaging is stackable, microwavable and can hold both hot and cold foods. Available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, we cater for all of the most popular cuisines which is perfect in large venues where a wide-variety of food vendors need to be considered.

Waste management made easy

Every good performance needs an encore. For vendors using Notpla's packaging, that comes in the form of simplified waste management streams once the show's over. Some packaging which is marketed as 'eco-friendly' often features ‘dispersion’ or ‘aqueous’ coatings , which involve the application of plastic micro-particles as a liquid and subsequent drying to form a barrier layer. Unfortunately, the use of such materials results in an energy-intensive industrial processes for composting and aren't recyclable. To avoid contributing to landfill, contract caterers have been paying the price for costly ‘closed loop’ disposal systems. However, Payne & Gunter have completely removed the need for such schemes and in doing so, reduced such unnecessary costs and complexities:

“Another benefit for us in choosing Notpla came with the ease of waste management, enabling complete recyclability, unlike alternatives which are not always compliant with such waste streams.”  

We’re delighted to have played a part in such a special event as The BRITs, enabling Payne & Gunter, The O2 and Levy UK to cut down on their environmental impact while putting on a show to remember.

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If you’d like to find out how Notpla's takeaway packaging can benefit your business, get in touch with our team or check here to see if your distributor already stocks us.