Celebration Packaging – based in Stanley Street, Burton Upon Trent – is pleased to be able to confirm that their range of white bagasse takeaway clamshells, dinnerware and chip trays are TÜV Home Compostable certified and are SGS certified as PFAS-free.

The man-made “forever chemicals” called PFAS (per – and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of synthetic chemicals used in a wide variety of common applications, from fast food packaging and non-stick cookware to firefighting foams and stain repellant chemicals for clothing and carpets. PFAS do not naturally degrade, and although they are safe to be used in food packaging and cookware, PFAS can eventually contaminate groundwater following their release into the environment.

Research is ongoing to assess the risk to humans from a buildup of PFAS in the human body. There are concerns that in very badly polluted areas a large amount of PFAS could accumulate in the blood and could cause cancers and infertility*.

“We became aware of the PFAS issue some time ago and began to look for viable non-PFAS packaging in early 2022,” says Celebration Packaging Managing Director Nick Burton. “Since then, we have been working hard to ensure that we can deliver PFA-free packaging solutions for the takeaway, delivery and QSR sectors – and we are delighted to announce today that all our white bagasse clamshells, dinnerware and chip trays are now TÜV home compostable and that they are PFAS-free. To ensure that the bagasse fibre clamshells, chip trays and dinnerware are free from these forever chemicals, we arranged for SGS, an internationally renowned testing, inspection and certification company, to test them. The SGS test report shows that no PFAS and similar chemicals such as PFCA’s / PFOS’s / PFOA’s / PFHxS’s were detected.

“We believe that these PFAS-free white bagasse products to be the best alternative to foodservice packaging made from expanded polystyrene,” says Nick Burton “They are the perfect replacement for expanded polystyrene plates, trays and clamshells now that the SUP legislation has come into effect.

“Bagasse is a great material because it is natural and renewable, using waste fibres from agriculture that would otherwise be burned. The manufacture of bagasse fibre packaging also has a lower carbon footprint than its oil based comparable products*, but to make bagasse water and grease resistant, PFAS were traditionally added; our in-market trials show that this is no longer necessary.”

The PFAS problem

PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) do not exist in nature and do not naturally degrade, which means they can end up contaminating groundwater for a very long time after their release into the environment.

Concerns around PFAS have been in the public domain for quite some time. At the start of 2023, bans in six states of the USA were announced, and in March the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) opened a six-month consultation on the proposed restriction on PFAS with a closing date of 25th September 2023.

Delivering PFAS-free bagasse packaging solutions
“Ever since we created the EnviroWare® brand, over 16 years ago, it has been our mission to seek out more sustainable packaging solutions,” says Nick Burton.

“Since the start of 2023, all our white bagasse clamshells, dinnerware and chip trays have been made with a different food safe, grease and water-resistant chemical, that is free from PFAS and this has allowed us to obtain TÜV Home Compostable certification for these products. We decided to wait to make the announcement until all in-market trials had been successfully completed. I am delighted to say that, as far as we are aware, none of our customers has noticed any difference in performance with the new PFAS-free white bagasse products.

“This new PFAS-free white bagasse fibre packaging looks exactly the same as the old range and can be used in a microwave to reheat food with no reduction in performance, but we are sure that operators and consumers will now be delighted to know that it is PFAS-free.

“Foodservice operators should check if the packaging they are using is PFAS-free,” concludes Nick Burton. “As a consultative business, we recommend that they talk to us if they have any concerns about the environmental impact of the packaging they use. We have been providing sustainable packaging solutions for many years and in the face of bans and taxes, we can help customers move away from single-use plastics and reduce their carbon footprint.”