How The Source Bulk Foods Is Changing An Industry One Plastic bag At A Time!

We are as passionate about reducing the amount of plastic on this earth as you are.

This means REMOVING it from our supply chain completely.

Our aim is to be plastic free from harvest to home.

It has been disappointing being surrounded by an industry with so much waste and plastic. But, it has also been super encouraging and rewarding being in a position to affect change to an industry and practices that have been established for so long.

Not only are we focused on removing plastic and packaging to our customers, we are just as active in removing plastic from our suppliers and supply chain in general.

We encourage our suppliers and manufacturers to reduce their use of plastic

We work tirelessly with suppliers and manufacturers to encourage their reduction of plastic and unnecessary waste. In fact we have created a dedicated project team to identify product by product – supplier by supplier where the changes need to be made to achieve our goal of a zero plastic supply chain.

• We have managed to eliminate plastic from a specific manufacturer who supplies merchandise products not only to us but businesses around the world.

• We are sourcing 100% compostable (NOT just degradable) lining inserts to provide to our suppliers so they can replace their current plastic practices – in time this will reduce the amount of plastic sent to us as well as to our competitors and other retailers in our industry by 50%.

• We have sourced a coffee bag that is 100% compostable (NOT degradable) – YES, including the zip lock and air valve.

• We have a dedicated team member working a project to identify how each and every one of our products is sent to us (natural v’s plastic) and identifying line by line how we can achieve plastic free supply from harvest to home.

• When a supplier, grower or manufacturer applies to supply The Source Bulk Foods, certain criteria must be shown to confirm that the product is delivered free of plastic or show they are in the process of converting to a compostable format.

Some of our milestones include:

• With the help of our customers, we have been able to save over 50,000,000 plastic bags from circulation with our “proudly plastic bag free” policy where customers can bring their own containers or use our own paper bags.  This was our philosophy from the beginning, long before main stream media and the supermarkets decided it was time to get on board.

• The Source Bulk Foods has donated over $75,000 to ocean conservation organisations in the last 18 months through the sales of our reusable water bottles in Australia and NZ.

•  Our customers have helped keep 300,000 kg of packaging waste from our landfills in the last 2 years.

• We brought out Bea Johnson on a very successful Zero Waste Australian Tour, speaking in front of thousands to promote waste reduction and plastic eradication in homes. We gained main stream media coverage on A Current Affair and other prominent programs and where able to promote the zero waste and plastic free message to Australia.

• The Source Bulk Foods stores are working with, and actively engaged with, local schools, councils, and community groups to educate about single use plastic reduction across the country.

Other projects we are passionate about and committed to:

• We have committed to planting half a million trees globally through the Eden reforestation project. With your help in the last 6 months we have planted 75,000 trees in Madagascar and helped employ hundreds of people in local communities in the process.

• Sales proceeds of our “Bush Tucker” range provide much needed and ongoing support to The Watarrka Foundation – supporting children of the outback.