Understanding all the different eco terms can be confusing, here’s some key definitions you might find useful:
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Eco – Being environmentally friendly
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Sustainable – Use of natural resources kept at a level unlikely to damage the environment.
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Biodegradable – Breaks down naturally without causing any harm to the environment.
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Degradable – Breaks down into micro size pieces due to its chemical make up
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Industrial Compostable – Biodegrades in an industrial environment only.
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Home Compostable – Biodegrades in home compostable conditions.
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Recyclable – Materials or waste that can be processed and used again.
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Widely Recyclable – Waste most likely to be collected as part of household recycling.
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Single Use – Designed to be used once and then thrown away.
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Reusable – Designed to be used multiple times before being thrown away.
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Sustainable Sourced – Using social, ethical and environmental factors to decide whether to use a supplier.
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PLA - PLA stands for Polylactic Acid. Talking Tables are not pursuing the use of this material as the ability to get PLA products correctly disposed of is not widely available. The material can even end up causing negative affects to the current recycling streams as it is not recyclable.
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BPA – BPA stands for Bisphenol A and has been linked to causing medical conditions. It is soluble therefore when in contact with liquids can seep into food. BPA free products are tested to confirm that they do not contain this harmful chemical.