The need to reduce single use plastic is abundantly clear. A report by Breaking the Plastic Wave identifies that by 2040, ocean-bound plastic will have tripled unless drastic measures are taken. But there's good news - if we take significant action now, we can reduce this amount of ocean plastic by 80%.

Seven South West businesses have devised positive solutions to help millions of people reduce their plastic consumption. Their shift to reusable packaging offers consumers a way to do their bit in the most effective, easy and affordable way. 

Trewithen Dairy - www.trewithendairy.co.uk 

Family run dairy, Trewithen Dairy, has 150+ refillable milk stations across the South West and beyond in a bid to encourage less single-use plastic. The self-serve scheme offers customers the chance to pour semi-skimmed milk into glass bottles and enjoy the taste of fresh milk produced from Cornish farms.

Trewithen Dairy invested in the technology as a way to offer people quality, affordable, high-welfare produce while reducing the amount of single-use plastic being created.

Customers are able to use one of their own suitable containers, or buy a Trewithen Dairy reusable one-litre glass bottle at each station, which should be washed in soapy water at home between each refill. 

Devonia - devoniawater.co.uk

Neil Graham, owner of Devonia, has been motivated by tackling single-use plastic solutions since he bought the business back in 2014. Devonia is the only spring water company in the south of England with a business model centered around continuously reusing glass bottles. Over the 20 years the company has been up and running, it has saved a staggering 163 tonnes of glass from going to landfill, by collecting and reusing its water bottles from hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants, special events and private customers across Devon.

Since the start of 2022, Devonia has sold 336,000 bottles of water and reused an impressive 285,000, with a reuse rate of 90%. Washing and refilling the bottles uses just 6% of the energy required to recycle glass, reducing CO2 by 94%. And of course, it doesn't generate any plastic pollution that would ultimately go into the world's oceans.

Devonia's water is bottled at source from a spring that bubbles up on the edge of a meadow near the villages of Beeson and Beesands, less than a mile from the sea. Available in both still and sparkling and in 330ml or 750ml bottles, the water has a natural soft taste that's proven to be incredibly popular with customers.

Salcombe Gin - www.salcombegin.com 

Ocean-inspired distillery, Salcombe Distilling Co. gives customers a chance to refill their empty Salcombe Gin bottles with award-winning Salcombe Gin 'Start Point' or Salcombe Gin 'Rosé Sainte Marie' and receive a 20% discount. 

The refill scheme is available at Exeter-based Darts Farm, their own Dartmouth and Salcombe stores and also Barrel & Still in Kingsbridge.

The refilling stations are just one of Salcombe Distilling Co.'s environmentally-conscious initiatives which include; 

• 1% for the Ocean: For every 50cl and 70cl bottle of New London Light and Salcombe Gin sold in the UK, SDCo. donates 1% of the revenue to the Marine Conservation Society's ocean recovery projects.
• Carbon Neutral Shipping: All UK orders are dispatched using a carbon neutral shipping service.
• Plastic Reduction: Salcombe Distilling Co. has eliminated single-use plastic from packaging, instead opting for sustainable alternatives such as biodegradable tamper-proof seals made from sweetcorn husk and sugarcane. Boxes are sealed using paper tape. Conventional plastic bubble wrap and polystyrene fill have been replaced with biodegradable starch-based alternatives derived from vegetables, which can go directly in customers' compost.
• 'Sustainable' Cocktails: The Salcombe Distilling Co. bar team has created cocktails made with locally foraged ingredients such as Alexanders and Sea Buckthorn shrub, vegan Dandelion honey and citrus stock which uses up the entire lemon, reducing waste from ingredients and their packaging.
• Bottle Stopper: New London Light now features a bottle stopper made from recycled ocean-bound plastic. It's a way of helping to 'turn off the tap' on dangerous plastic entering our oceans.

Salcombe Brewery - www.salcombebrewery.com

Salcombe Brewery Co is committed to reducing their impact on the environment and, in an effort to encourage waste minimisation, they have introduced a scheme where visitors to their brewery can fill up a container of their choice with their beers. From milk bottles to growlers, they have had many weird and wonderful vessels used! This packaging-free option is available Monday to Saturday, during shop opening hours and is limited to one fill up per person per day.

Hattiers - www.hattiers.com  

Fuelled by a passion for life at sea and with a fresh take on the traditional art of rum blending, Hattiers' versatile and accessible blends consist of carefully selected, fine aged rums from across the world that are married with pure Dartmoor water at their Devon blending house and distillery.  As the UK's first B Corp certified rum, their uncompromising approach to quality and sustainability is something they're extremely proud of and all decisions made are conscious ones.

Plastic-free from day one and proud to have never used air sac sleeves, Hattiers were early adopters of innovative packaging solutions from fellow B Corp Flexi-Hex, which is made from 100% recycled material and is 100% recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. Their customers are happy in the knowledge that their rum will arrive safely and in beautiful packaging that doesn't cost the earth.  

Hattiers is working hard to reduce the weight of its glass bottles by at least 30 per cent in order to reduce its product carbon footprint. Other steps they have taken to reduce their environmental impact include using renewable energy as well as only natural light in the distillery during the blending process and this year they have plans in place to move their entire fleet to hybrid or EV and generate solar energy on site with battery storage.

Blackpool Sands - https://www.blackpoolsands.co.uk/ 

Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Blackpool Sands' new takeaway is a brilliant example of a hospitality business paving the way sustainably. The revamped takeaway is set to open in April 2023, which will be wholly plastic and glass free, and stocked with only independent brands. After the summer season, the restaurant renovation will begin, transforming the takeaway's indoor seating area into a fantastic dining destination in time for opening in spring 2024. 

Flapjackery - www.flapjackery.co.uk

Flapjackery's delicious handmade flapjacks are packed into recyclable boxes, and if the purchaser chooses not to take a box, 50p is donated to that shop's nominated charity. The charities for its shops are: Wells (Wells Cathedral); Plymouth (RNLI); St Ives (RNLI); Minehead (RNLI); Tavistock (Dartmoor Pony Heritage Trust).

ENDS

EDITORS NOTES

Directors at Trewithen Dairy, Devonia, Salcombe Distilling Co, Salcombe Brewery, Hattiers and Blackpool Sands are available for interview. Please do get in touch with Harry Hook in the first instance if you like to discuss Earth Day initiatives further with them.

Harry Hook - harry@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk / 07540399025.