Take-Away

Take-away food and beverages in combination with sustainability will become even more of a topic from 2023, because with the new law on mandatory reusability, restaurants, cafés and bistros in Germany will have to offer reusable tableware for take-away. Disposable tableware will not disappear completely from the market as a result, but here, too, environmental awareness and sustainable action will count.

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Take-Away and the reusable obligation

The new packaging law on mandatory reusability was passed in the German Bundestag in 2021. For restaurateurs, this means that they will have to offer their take-away food and drinks in reusable tableware as an alternative to disposable tableware. Reusable tableware is thus intended to be a sustainable alternative that not only saves material and energy, but also reduces the burden on waste management companies. The reusable alternatives must not be more expensive, but only include the surcharge of a deposit. 

The reusable alternative obligation applies to all catering businesses that offer food and beverages to-go. Small businesses with fewer than 5 employees and a sales area of less than 80 square meters are exempt. However, they are obliged to fill their food and beverages into containers they have brought themselves if they so wish. 


Advantages of reusable tableware

Of course, the introduction of reusable tableware is all about the environment. However, there are other positive effects of switching to the reusable alternative. One of these is customer loyalty, which automatically results from the return of the deposit dishes. With its own deposit system, which is provided with a company logo, the awareness of the company can also be increased.

In addition, the regular costs for disposable tableware are eliminated, which already pays off from a small number of take-away portions per week. All in all, a new target group is being addressed in this context, i.e. people who also attach importance to sustainability in their consumer behavior will also be reached in the future.

320,000 coffee-to-go cups: that's the number of disposable cups for hot drinks sold every hour in Germany alone. This figure alone should already make you think and spur a switch to reusable tableware.

Take-Away: coffee mug-to-go with cup character

Hot drinks in any form, but especially with coffee, are among the best-selling products in the catering industry. The number of coffee-to-go cups sold every hour shows that a large number of people take their coffee cup with them on their way and do not take the time to enjoy it in peace. However, that doesn't mean their guests want to sacrifice convenience, even if they're in a hurry.  

The cozy feeling of holding a cup of coffee in your hand and sitting in a café is of course not possible when you are on the go, but we make it possible to be close: Because the porcelain coffee mugs-to-go give you that feeling. With their slightly convex cup shape, the porcelain mugs sit comfortably, heavy as a cup in your hand.

Advantages of porcelain coffee-to-go cups 

  • Capacity of 0.38 l
  • Suitable for both hot and cold drinks 
  • Neutral in taste 
  • Unbreakable
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Microwave safe
  • Acid resistant
  • Can be customized with company logo or decor
  • With plastic lid and banderole in black or white 

Take-Away with reusable porcelain tableware

Porcelain as reusable tableware is not the first material thought of for take-away in the catering industry, but it is not at all unrealistic. Because the properties of the material are popular and convincing: 

  • Oven and microwave safe
  • Dishwasher safe
  • Acid resistant 
  • Tasteless 
  • Excellent heat and cold storage properties 

Sealed with a bisphenol A free silicone lid, the porcelain bowls can be pre-portioned and stacked or given to guests to take home. The lids are expandable, allowing the bowls to be sealed airtight and slosh-proof. In addition, they will hold up on other materials such as stoneware, metal, glass or plastic. They can be cleaned in the dishwasher, are microwavable and temperature resistant from -40°C to +240°C.  

A deposit ensures that the porcelain incl. lid is returned and no financial risk is taken.

Overall, it is a practical variant for the reusable obligation, because existing bowls can be used for this reusable tableware, which gain their added value through the purchase of silicone lids. Thus, many restaurateurs can meet the requirements of sustainability, quality and cost through simple means.

Disposable tableware with environmental thought

For those restaurateurs who continue to use disposable tableware, there is also disposable tableware that is sustainable. The ecological disposable tableware made of bagasse consists of 70% sugar cane and 30% FSC pulp. It is therefore completely biodegradable. The variety of different items makes it versatile, both for liquid soups and for cutting solid food. This sustainable disposable tableware is thus waterproof, grease resistant and microwaveable. It can withstand temperatures from -20°C to +110°C.

BAGASSE - Small dish round
BAGASSE - Small dish round
BAGASSE - Small dish round
BAGASSE - Bowl round
BAGASSE - Bowl round
BAGASSE - Plate flat round
BAGASSE - Plate deep round