Australia’s fastest growing iced-tea franchise, Chatime, announced today its bold aim to eliminate single-use plastic from all of its 125 locations nationally by 2020.
“Plastic pollution is a massive environmental problem and we want to be part of the solution,” said Chatime CEO Carlos Antonius.
“Project Happy Turtle will see us trial new products and solutions as we aim to phase out single-use plastic by 2020.
“Many of our customers have told us that they love Chatime but are keen for us to find alternatives to single-use plastic. We want them to continue to enjoy the great taste and quality of Chatime tea, so finding practical solutions is really important.”
From today Chatime Australia is trialling a specially designed new paper straw in all 125 of its T-breweries across the country. Initially, customers will have a choice between the current plastic straw and the new paper alternative. Because mix-ins are a critical element of many of Chatime’s popular iced teas, a straw is a necessary utensil.
The transition from single-use plastic cups has started with compostable cups and lids used in Chatime’s UTS and Murdoch T-breweries. This will be extended as part of a 10-location trial in February 2020.
From today Chatime also is offering customers a reusable cup in all of its locations. Chatime has selected Biopak products, which are all certified under the Australian Government’s carbon neutral program. The straws are made with FSC certified paper from managed plantations. The cups and their lids are made from bioplastic, which is made from plants, rather than fossil fuels like oil. Currently, they are only compostable in industrial compost facilities so Chatime has teamed up with a contractor to collect used cups and lids from its T-breweries and send them away to be composted.
“We anticipate that by leading the way we will increase demand for compost facilities for these types of products and help create a more sustainable community,” said Antonius.
“Our aim is to have happy customers and a happy planet.”