On a recent visit to our local Spotlight store we came across some Disney-themed plates, cups and cutlery.
They were made from cheap plastic but to our surprise they were labelled "eco friendly".
To justify their "eco friendly" claim, written next to those words, were "reusable".
We scoffed at this claim and a recent post on our Facebook Page found we were not alone in our rolling of the eyes.
Unfortunately though, as we have found through the creation of Eco Party Box, these types of "eco friendly" claims are not uncommon.
Many paper plate suppliers are often caught short. Did you know that the majority of paper party plates are coated with a thin layer of wax or plastic to
make them more resistant to wetness so they won’t go soggy with tomato sauce? This also helps to preserve the images printed in ink
on the paper.
Just recently we got in touch with another party supply company overseas to see if we could stock their products, as it has been difficult to source these types of party products in Australia.
We were interested to know what their "felt" party hats and party bags were made from.
Unfortunately the "felt" was actually polyester felt but still carried the claim of "eco friendly" despite being made with a non-biodegradable petroleum-based synthetic fabric.
Pure wool felt is the better eco choice as it is biodegradble and uses no petroluem in its manufacturing.
Pure wool felt is the better eco choice as it is biodegradble and uses no petroluem in its manufacturing.
But their justification again was it could be reused or regifted - thus making it "eco friendly" too.
