Angela Castelli and Tim Christian: Natural Tableware
MUSE spoke with the President of Natural Tableware North America, Angela Castelli, and her Marcom Director, Tim Christian. Natural Tableware manufactures and distributes sustainable, single-use tableware to help phase out plastic. All tableware is made from natural residual materials or circular materials. No chemicals or toxins are added during the production process, resulting in 100% biodegradable and/or compostable products.
Why is it so important to avoid single-use plastic?
Microplastic has permeated everything. If you drink tap water, you're drinking plastics. Plastics are in the water when you shower, they're in rainwater, they're in the oceans, and in the fish you eat from the oceans. And part of that is because nobody thought way back when they created plastics, that they would last forever. They never go away, they just break down into smaller and smaller pieces. So we're dealing with the impact of that today.
Right now, when scientists take a sample from the deepest ocean water in the northern Pacific, they're seeing single-use plastics, wrappers, containers, packaging, and straws. Those are the things that we as consumers haven't thought about for a long time. At Natural Tableware, we're focused on figuring out what we can take that is now plastic, and replace it with something sustainable, or something that will biodegrade over time.
One fascinating thing is the technologies that can solve the macro problem exist but until they are implemented, we have to determine what we can do ourselves -- what can we do to motivate the customers that we serve? Or the micro-entities that impact this space? Our philosophy is to work in concentric circles, start with ourselves, then the people that we do business with, and then ultimately the larger business entities.
Natural Tableware started in Amsterdam, around 2010. Amsterdam is one of the most sustainable cities on the planet, they are ahead of the curve in terms of how to deal with waste, and make things better for the planet, yet they maintain a certain level of style and sophistication. When my partners created this company, they didn't just want to produce an average looking plate. They knew that to make an impact worldwide, they had to get a high design product. They took sugarcane, and naturally shed palm bark and using just steam and pressure, created designs that have an aesthetic that you can use on your table every day.
Natural Tableware is widely used in Europe, and we brought it here to the States around 2016, and we’re making great strides in the hospitality industry. Because we’re the manufacturer of our goods, and we sell directly to the consumer, we can make an affordable, high design option to replace the single-use plastic options.
So our approach was really simple. Instead of talking to consumers and hoping to change behaviors, with the masses, we started with the industry influencers. We went to hotels, we went to theme parks, we went to stadiums, etc., and said if you do this, number one, you're going to be benefiting your bottom line. Number two, you're going to be having a positive impact on the environment (that you can brag about). And number three, you're going to be influencing thousands upon thousands of consumers to start asking for a viable alternative. One of the most amazing data points that emerged from the past few years is that consumers under 40, opt for more expensive services or products if they are sustainable. And that is a harbinger of things to come. And so encouraging, and so positive.
How do people know what to put in which bin at events?
When we partnered with Kaaboo Cayman, we used icons on the signage. If you had this in your hand, in a glance, you knew where to put your trash. It made it quick and easy to make the right decision. We were in a unique position where everybody embraced this because the festival took place on an island. The people who lived on this island were part of the team that was executing the event. Ask anyone that lives on an island, they don't have the same waste options that exist on the mainland. So they were huge proponents of making sure that the people who came to this event were doing the right thing, not to mention that a lot of the people who came to the event, were local as well.
One of the things that we've been able to demonstrate in the hospitality industry is what was once a trash bin is now a trash bin and a recycling bin. And over time the trash bin got smaller, and the recycling bin got bigger. And now we have a third bin, and that's compost. Now the trashcan is getting really small. The recycling bin has maxed out in size because that practice is entrenched in people. And at this point, the compost bin is growing as people recognize there's a tremendous benefit of keeping organics out of the landfill.
What are unique challenges that come up for event planners?
Event execution is no different than what campers have always done: when you leave, you pack out your trash. When we plan an event, the biggest challenge is how do you manage the aftermath? How do you pack out the trash? Especially when the event execution team has separate waste management negotiations everywhere we go.
One challenge is to keep event producers to keep from falling back into “convenient habits.” We worked as the sustainability partner for a food festival. And we told them, we will give you everything you need. Everything! They decided to invite additional vendors to serve flavors from the city in the VIP area (to engage the local community). And as we walk into the VIP area, there is a vendor who's using all plastic. It was a facepalm moment. They made a decision to be sustainable and somehow that didn’t translate across the entirety of their operation.
So, we try to make sure we’re working with everyone involved to keep it uniform. At one festival, we offered special pricing for all of their vendors (to make sure that everyone was using the most sustainable serviceware), and most of them were fine with it because we kept the pricing in line with what they would normally use. Some were a little upset about having to change. But for the most part, we're like, look, we want to make it easy for you to do this, you don't have to think about it, and you're being green. But habits are hard to break.
We consider it a challenge to do better. The good news is that, given the amount of pressure and focus on sustainability in the world today, more and more people are ready to embrace it. The world is coming to our way of thinking instead of moving away from it.
We’ve talked about the disposal of items, and now we’d love to touch upon the making of the product. It’s so important to consider the “upstream” part of the supply chain.
Absolutely. The palm plates are my favorite story because the way they are made is something that's been done for generations. The palm leaves we use fall naturally (we don’t bring in machines) from trees. Making them into plates is old wisdom. When somebody realized, hey, this could have a positive impact if it was introduced to the world, it put entire families and communities to work, and transformed their lives as well. Just absolutely amazing how it impacted the lives of so many people.
It’s important to identify the positive social and economic impact on the communities that make our products, this is providing jobs and a better life for lots of people.
We also make products out of sugarcane bagasse. When you cut down sugar cane, you take the sweet juice out of it, you make rum, you make molasses, you make all the things you can, and then you're left with the plant pulp. And the question was, what can you do with this pulp? Well, it's as simple as applying a little bit of logic and a marketplace that had a need. And so we use steam and pressure to form them into plates with elegant designs. And we can still have those convenience items that we want without the plastic component.
I think that's just so important that the products we use for events are manufactured most sustainably. Without the direct impact of fossil fuels or chemicals. It's better for all the places that are producing our products, and it's better for the communities where the factories are, and for the people that work there. So, yeah, it's completing that circle for sure.
What are some things that you would love event producers to keep in mind? What things do you want to communicate to planners?
We’re experiential planners ourselves. When you’re in the thick of things, we tend to cast inconvenient things aside, because the main goal is to produce the event. So we encourage everyone to bring in a consultant, a consultant will take pressure off you. A consultant can see clearly and objectively which is so hard when you are deep in the weeds. We do that for people pursuing sustainable events. Yes, we’re a plate provider, yes, we want you to purchase our items, but this goes way beyond sales. I mean, we’re here on a mission. So lean on us, let us take our expertise and put it to work to help you. We can talk to the facilities, talk to your vendors. I’ve talked with many vendors who were not happy they had to buy other stuff. Well, you have to buy stuff for this event anyway, so buy this stuff, and let’s all have one sustainability mission. For you, the event producer, it’s hard to have a meeting about details like these when you have so many moving parts. It’s about having the right resources.
The best thing you can do is make a sustainability plan. If you’re not going to hire a consultancy service, figure out how to do it. Because the time between now, when it’s an option, and the near future when it’s a statute or a law, is very short. That’s why it’s important to work with an organization that knows what’s going on and knows the realities of the marketplace, which is going to be beneficial to save you money as opposed to cost you money.
I see you work with a lot of different organizations including hotel chains, festivals, and stadiums. Who is your target market?
We provide for everyone as well as consumers. Our website is retail, so just as consumption touches everyone, so do we. We’re re-doing our shop on www.naturaltableware.com. We have a whole new thing we’re putting together that’s going to be resource heavy for the United States. We’re trying to be that education resource. I think it’s helpful for people, who are everyday consumers to have resources. We’d love to be that resource. Most people just don’t know where to go.
Changing behavior can be a little bit of a challenge. And part of what we’d like to preach is that it’s not hard. It’s easy, all you have to do is make a couple of modifications to what you do right now. And to paraphrase the great chef, José Andrés, “Do it, you’ll be having a positive impact, and you’ll feel better for it” and that’s something we like to preach. Natural Tableware is here to make sustainable solutions easier for people.
Website: www.naturaltableware.com/
Instagram: @naturaltableware
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Facebook: www.facebook.com/NaturalTablewareBV