Meet Great Wrap, the completely compostable cling wrap

It’s finally here — stretch wrap that’s made from food waste rather than petroleum-based plastic. It’s time to reset your vocabulary from “plastic wrap” to “Great Wrap.” 

Great Wrap is the Australian-based materials science company dedicated to eliminating plastic from the planet. It’s making its point with its first product release. The Great Mate dispenser is made from recycled plastic bottles, with each one removing the equivalent of 33 single-use plastic bottles from the waste stream. The non-plastic stretch wrap comes on rolls called “Nudie Rolls” that fit neatly inside the Great Mate. 

Related: This company cleans microplastics from water with whirlpools

The setup allows users to order refills for the Great Mate with minimal waste. Nudie rolls are made from potato waste, so when the material has been used and is ready for disposal, it can go straight into the backyard compost. This is a massive innovation within the material development world — one that stands to shift the direction of all plastic production.

However, it’s important for consumers to understand the difference between biodegradable and compostable. A material labeled as biodegradable will break down, though that can simply mean breaking down into smaller particles such as the ubiquitous and damaging microplastics that are now found in every living thing on the planet. When an item is biodegradable, it also has no timeline for decomposition.

Materials that compost, however, break down in entirety, leaving behind no particles or toxins. Compostable materials are primarily made from plants. Before tossing them into the backyard bin, it’s important to note whether they are suitable for backyard composting or if they need to be sent to an industrial (municipal) facility. Great Wrap can be composted in your own yard and breaks down within six months, which is the same amount of time as most wood, grass and food waste in the bin it shares. 

Great Wrap is made from food product waste from the potato chip industry. It repurposes the rejected potatoes, as well as the skins stripped off in the process. Being compostable isn’t the only difference between Great Wrap and traditional cling wraps. Since it is a natural product, it’s prone to melting at high temperatures. So while it can be used in the microwave, the company suggests keeping an eye on it at medium and high heat. Great Wrap can, however, be used in the refrigerator and it can safely be stored in the home for two years. 

The materials are made to function similar to the way plastic functions. The difference comes once the wrap is disposed of. While traditional wrap heads to the landfill where it takes generations to break down, leaching into the soil in the process, Great Wrap begins to break down as soon as it comes into contact with the enzymes in the compost pile. If the product ends up in the landfill, it will still break down.

However, it’s estimated that it will take two to three years. So if you haven’t started a composter yet, this is a “great” reason to make your move. Besides, composting is easy and provides a spot for many of your household debris like all produce peels, stems, cores and other food waste. It’s also the perfect spot to recycle spent garden plants, dump your grass clippings and layer with fall leaves. 

Great Wraps founders, Julia and Jordy Kay, come from diverse working backgrounds, yet they share a common passion for sustainable product design. In her previous life as an architect, Julia explains she was nauseated by the amount of plastic wrap used to hold products on pallets. Jordy, on the other hand, was making wine and was similarly frustrated by the amount of plastic involved in the shipping process. One day, the husband and wife duo landed on the solution for both the plastic alternative and their goal of running a business together.

The team is passionate about blanketing the planet with Great Wrap, one customer at a time. As an alternative to petroleum-based wraps, it solves problems related with pollution from petroleum extraction and transport, provides an outlet for potato waste from French fry and potato chip manufacturers and leaves zero evidence of its time on Earth once it breaks down in the composter. That’s a full-circle product, so it’s no surprise Jordy says he expects to see Great Wrap “literally everywhere” within 10 years’ time. 

Great Wrap provides a starter kit where you can acquire your initial Great Mate and two Nudie Rolls for $39. The Great Mate is available in four color options. The Nudie Rolls measure 98 feet in length. After your initial purchase, you can subscribe for automatic deliveries every two or three months at a cost of $19.90. Your cling wrap deliveries have a $5 flat rate for shipping. Currently, Great Wrap is shipping to locations throughout Australia and the United States. It has plans to expand shipping locations in the near future. The company offers a 100% satisfaction and 30-day return policy for all Great Mates and unopened Nudie Rolls. 

+ Great Wrap

Images via Great Wrap

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This cheddar is the first carbon-neutral cheese in the world

Wyke Farms has been in the cheddar cheesemaking business since 1861. The Clothier family company kept their award-winning, 160-year-old recipe and spent nearly 15 years on bioengineering to become the UK’s first 100% self-sufficient in green energy. As their next step in sustainability, they launched their Ivy’s Reserve Vintage Somerset Cheddar, the first carbon-neutral cheese in the world. 

Named after Grandma Ivy, whose recipe is still used 100 years later, the Ivy’s Reserve Cheddar has a nutty taste with bits of salt for a crunchy bite. Aged for up to 18 months under wood, the cheddar tastes more subtle than the sharp orange-y cheddars you might be used to, with a smooth butteriness in the mouth. Additionally, it is perfect melted or on your favorite charcuterie paired with nuts and dried fruits.

Related: Vegan cheese hitting dairy aisles at Whole Foods in New York

Inhabitat spoke with third-generation family member Rich Clothier, managing director at Wyke Farms and Ivy Clothier’s grandson, on how the company is innovating the cheesemaking process to greener pastures. 

Inhabitat: What started the journey to launch a carbon-neutral cheese?

Clothier: At Wyke Farms, our grandmother Ivy Clothier used to say, “If you look after nature, then nature will look after you.” Ivy had the deepest respect for nature and a love of the Somerset countryside, valuing the resources it gave, and she never wasted anything. In return, the landscape provided food, a livelihood and a home, and these values remain at the heart of the business today. We believe that good cheddar needn’t cost the earth, and therefore, we tread lightly on the land, always ensuring that we give back more than we take. Launching Ivy’s Reserve as the world’s first carbon-neutral cheddar was the natural next step in our sustainability journey.

Inhabitat: How does going carbon neutral affect the process of cheesemaking?

Clothier:

Our cheese: When making Ivy’s Reserve, we minimize waste and packaging, recover heat, filter and reuse our wastewater and reduce carbon emissions. In all we do, our aim is to achieve net-zero production.

Our farm: We’ve reduced emissions on our own and our suppliers’ farms with a committed sustainability plan and incentive program. This covers animal feed, land management and energy use, as well as regenerative farming and protection of the soil. It encourages biodiversity, improves soil quality and helps to reduce emissions, bringing the CO2 output per liter of milk to 20% under the national average.

Green energy: We use 100% green energy, with electricity and gas sourced from solar power and from biogas generated from farm and dairy waste. Our anaerobic digester saves 20 million kilos of CO2 every year, as well as providing us with rich natural fertilizer that we can return to the earth.

Working with nature: We do all we can to protect and nurture the countryside around the River Brue, which runs through our valley. We leave uncultivated areas to wildflowers and other species, as well as planting trees and putting up bird boxes and insect hotels.

The Carbon Trust: With the Carbon Trust, we have conducted cradle-to-grave footprinting analysis to certify Ivy’s Reserve Cheddar as carbon neutral in accordance with the PAS2060 standard. PAS 2060 is an internationally recognized specification for carbon neutrality and builds on the existing PAS 2050 environmental standard. It sets out requirements for the quantification, reduction and offsetting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for products.

Inhabitat: Is the company hoping to launch other types of products that are carbon neutral?

Clothier: Yes, we are working to bring to the market later in 2023 Ivy’s Reserve Salted Farmhouse Butter as the world’s first carbon neutral butter. Our deliciously creamy farmhouse butter is still made to our grandmother Ivy’s special recipe. Its unique smoothness and clean finish come from the use of whey cream, created as part of the cheesemaking process, and the care with which it’s churned. With the addition of just the right amount of salt, it’s perfect for toast but able to add something special to baking and cooking too.

Inhabitat: What have been some challenges for going toward 100% green?

Clothier: Currently, the packaging for Ivy’s Reserve cannot be recycled. We are working to find a 100% recyclable packaging solution as quickly as possible. It’s challenging in cheese as it needs a barrier film. Without barrier film, then cheese spoilage and food waste increases, which can be equally bad or even worse for the environment, so we are unable to take any risks. […] We have trialed multiple materials for cheese produced by several different manufacturers, and whilst we’ve yet to find a solution, we are doing all that we can to drive the innovation needed to allow people to continue to enjoy Somerset Cheddar in a more sustainable way.

Inhabitat: What are the goals for the future now that Wyke’s Farms has achieved UK’s first 100% self-sufficient in green energy?

Clothier: We will continue to develop more sustainable ways of working as technology allows, with a key focus on increased solar PV, work with our milk suppliers to measure and improve their carbon footprints and drive improvements across the business aligned to the Science Based Targets Incentive.

+ Wyke Farms

Images via Wyke Farms

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3D-printed tiny homes are made from recycled plastic

Building a house is time-consuming, requires a large number of raw materials and labor and is not environmentally friendly. Now, imagine a world where houses are built quickly, yet affordable and even sustainable. This may sound surreal, but it is actually happening — thanks to 3D-printing technology. 

Azure Printed Homes, a Los Angeles-based startup, is putting plastic to good use by using it to build 3D-printed homes. The company offers sustainable solutions to two problems: plastics waste and housing shortages. Azure printed homes was founded by entrepreneurs Ross Maguire and Gene Eidelman. The company was recently chosen by the real estate development firm Re-Inhabit to construct 10 rental homes in Southern California.

Related: Are 3D-printed homes a sustainable option for the future?

Furthermore, they follow a sustainable approach to make a house. The process is efficient and reduces the environmental impact. According to the company, it can build homes 70% faster and 30% cheaper compared to the “traditional home construction methods.” The Azure homes are constructed in their Culver City factory and then delivered to the site.

Additionally, the house is said to be 99% finished when it leaves the factory. Following that, it is transported to the destination on a flatbed truck. Once on-site, the only thing left to do is connect the modules together. The printing process takes nearly a day after the house design is finalized. They highlight that over 60% of the print material comes from plastic used in food packaging and plastic bottles. A small house (180 square feet) could be constructed using 100,000 recycled plastic water bottles. 

The recycled plastic is combined with other materials to increase the strength and durability of the structure. The company is currently using “post-industrial plastic” to create the printing mix, and they aim to use post-consumer plastic in the years to come. The home also comes with other environmentally-friendly options, such as solar panels and heat pumps, in order to reduce home energy consumption bills.

Azure currently offers homes in three sizes: studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom. Its most affordable home is priced at $26,900 (120 square feet studio). The most expensive and largest home, on the other hand, costs $204,900 and is spread out over 900 square feet with two beds. It should be noted that the aforementioned prices do not include any additional fees, such as delivery or utility hookup.

The company intends to usher in a new era of construction by capitalizing on 3D-printing technology as well as harnessing the power of recycled plastics. Their ambitious project will give plastic a second life, which usually ends up in landfills, oceans or incinerated. It is a critical solution as the global plastic crisis continues to worsen. In fact, from 2000 to 2019, a global plastic waste generation more than doubled to a whopping 353 million tons. The construction industry accounts for roughly 20% of total global carbon emissions. Overall, this solution is beneficial to the environment; however, it is critical to assess the long-term capabilities of 3D-printed homes.

+ Azure Printed Homes

Images via Azure Printed Homes

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