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Our panel of international experts explores the whys and hows of transitioning away from disposable materials and toward more reusable materials in our food system.
Made possible with the editorial support of Plastic Pollution Coalition.
How does reusable plastic-free packaging compare to single-use plastics in terms of its overall environmental impact?
by Erica CirinoReusables can be made from many materials, including glass and metals. Can you offer a brief explanation of them in terms of sustainability and health considerations?
by CJ O'BrienHow does shifting from single-use to reusable plastic-free materials impact the presence of microplastics in the environment?
by Ben SchleiferWhat are the health risks associated with using single-use plastics, especially in terms of chemicals that may leach into food or beverages?
by Birgit GeuekeWhat economic challenges might food and beverage service providers face in transitioning from single-use plastics to reusables?
by Aidan MaguireHow are businesses responding to the demand for more sustainable non-toxic packaging, and what challenges do they face in transitioning to reusable options?
by Plastic Pollution CoalitionWhich players in the supply chain have the most leverage for advancing the shift toward increased use of plastic-free reusable containers – and why?
by Jonathan KaplanAre there misconceptions or common misunderstandings among the public regarding the environmental and climate impacts of reusable plastics?
by Holly KaufmanWhen microplastics and nonplastics are found in everything from our hair to our bloodstreams, are you hopeful for our future?
by Dianna Cohen & Catherine GreenerOur panel of international experts explores the whys and hows of transitioning away from disposable materials and toward more reusable materials in our food system.
Made possible with the editorial support of Plastic Pollution Coalition.
Environmental impacts associated with the reusable alternatives were highly dependent on the use phase due to dishwashing, making payback period sensitive to washing frequency and method, and for GWP, carbon intensity of the energy grid (used for water heating).
Communications Manager
PLASTIC POLLUTION COALITION
How does reusable plastic-free packaging compare to single-use plastics in terms of its overall environmental impact?
Refillable and reusable plastic-free packaging made of materials like stainless steel, glass, unglazed ceramic, and untreated wood are better for people and the planet in several ways: 1) being endlessly reusable, they eliminate waste, 2) they reduce demand for raw materials to create new products which reduces stress on the Earth and fenceline communities near industrial sites, 3) unlike plastic, they are not toxic to people and the rest of nature. Plastic-free reusables help people live more in line with the Earth, which wastes nothing.
Plastics have a significant impact on climate change. Plastic refining is among the most greenhouse gas intensive manufacturing processes. Additionally, plastics that are unmanaged end up in the environment where the material continues to degrade. Microplastics are now found in every ecosystem and are impacting human health. End-of-life is not the end of impact. If plastic is burned, it emits CO2 and other harmful chemicals. If plastic materials are released in the environment, it becomes a contaminant to urban streets, farmland, natural areas, coastlines, streams, rivers and oceans. Recent studies have concluded that plastic pollution is not only creating significant damage to marine ecosystems, but it is also contributing to climate change. Royer et al discovered that exposure to ambient sunlight caused the seven most commonly used kinds of plastic to produce measurable amounts of methane, a short-lived climate pollutant, and ethylene1.
A disposal method where waste is buried underground, contributing to environmental issues when plastics do not degrade or create leaching issues.
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The chemical additives and special coatings on or in different packaging types are generally where we are exposed to chemicals of concern, but coatings and additives can, in some cases, also determine if the material can be recycled or not.
Ocean Friendly Programs Manager
The Surfrider Foundation
Reusables can be made from many materials, including glass and metals. Can you offer a brief explanation of them in terms of sustainability and health considerations?
Reusables are better for the environment than disposables in a number of ways. Reusables cut down on disposable items that need to be created, disposed of, hauled away, sent to a landfill, and/or end up as litter on our beaches or in our waterways. Imagine a single coffee shop that serves 100 customers a day. If every customer was given a reusable mug to drink their coffee in rather than a disposable one, that would reduce about 36,500 single-use cups a year alone and those reusable coffee mugs could be washed and reused for many customers to enjoy.
Reusables also have lower greenhouse gas impacts than disposables as long as they are reused a certain number of times. Disposables, especially disposable plastic which is made from petroleum, have large greenhouse gas impacts during their extraction, manufacturing, and disposal. Durable, non-plastic reusables can be reused many times, and their environmental benefits only increase the more they are reused.
Durable, non-plastic reusable products that don’t leak harmful chemicals or materials during use or when heated up are better for our health. Many reusable plastics and single-use plastics have been found to leach chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, and polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Even though BPA has been banned in certain products, it is typically replaced with a very similar chemical, bisphenol S (BPS). In addition, melamine, or melamine-formaldehyde resin (MFR) is a commonly used reusable plastic foodware product because it is lightweight, affordable, and durable, however, it too has been found to leach chemicals when exposed to high heat.
Stainless steel is extremely durable, lightweight, corrosion resistant, and does not leach harmful chemicals when exposed to heat. Glass is also durable, doesn’t leach chemicals, and can be endlessly reused without losing its quality. Additionally, certain glass products, such as glass bottles can be effectively repurposed and reused.
Plastic reduction refers to efforts aimed at minimizing the production, consumption, and disposal of plastic materials to mitigate the negative environmental impacts associated with plastic pollution.
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For wildlife, microplastics can be particularly dangerous. When eaten, they can easily accumulate inside an animal’s body and cause serious health issues, like punctured organs or fatal intestinal blockages.
EDC Food Coordinator
Center for Environmental Health
How does shifting from single-use to reusable plastic-free materials impact the presence of microplastics in the environment?
While many people know of the environmental degradation that plastic causes to nature and frontline communities, there is a growing awareness of the many health concerns associated with exposure to plastics, microplastics and plastics additives. Microplastic exposure has been linked to Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and decreased fertility . Since nanoplastics have been found in human blood, we should be asking: how are humans exposed to these microscopic particles? When you look at the US food system and packaging, you will notice that there is an overreliance on single-use plastics. Not only is food wrapped in plastic, but many single-use plastic products are intended to be put directly into our mouths – like polypropylene straws and utensils. At a chemical level, some of these single-use plastics have been shown to leach antimony , styrene, and lead during regular use. Manufactures add over 10,000 chemical additives to plastics, and many of these chemicals are both known to be hazardous and are not well regulated .
What do we do about this plastic problem? The ultimate goal should be to completely stop making and using inadequately regulated plastic, but the first step would be to focus on single-use plastic. Plastic Pollution Coalition finds that 40% of plastic manufactured is used for single-use applications. We need to move away from single-use and toward reuse if we want to deal with the plastic and microplastic problem. Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has been working with K-12 schools to teach elementary-aged students reuse models at an early age. This not only lessens students’ exposure to single-use plastics and microplastics, but also establishes expectation for reuse at food establishments. Moreover, CEH also helped co-develop the Green Screen Certification for both single-use and reusable items to avoid the use of known harmful chemicals and shift the market to safer chemistry. To prevent environmental health harms from plastics, individuals should consider:
Very small pieces of plastic, usually defined as being less than 5 mm in length. Microplastics are a result of the disposal and breakdown of plastic products and are detrimental to the environment and to human health.
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Research suggests that all plastics may leach chemicals if they’re scratched or heated. Research also strongly suggests that at certain exposure levels, some of the chemicals in these products, such as bisphenol A (BPA), may cause cancer in people.
Senior Scientific Officer
Food Packaging Forum
What are the health risks associated with using single-use plastics, especially in terms of chemicals that may leach into food or beverages?
Plastic food packaging is used to transport food and protect it from spoilage. However, its service life is typically very short, generally single-use, and at the end-of-life plastic food packaging often contributes to environmental pollution on land and at sea. Furthermore, plastic packaging can also release chemicals into the packaged foods. This process of chemical migration leads to human exposure to many plastic-related chemicals.
Hundreds of different chemicals have been shown to migrate from plastic packaging into food. Among these are chemicals with hazard properties of concern, including carcinogens and mutagens as well as chemicals affecting the immune, hormone, and reproductive systems. Examples of such chemicals of concern are bisphenols, phthalates, PFAS, and styrene.
Many other chemicals that are known to migrate have never been tested for their toxicity, so that it is impossible to assess whether their presence in food is of concern or not. Oligomers, which are regularly formed during the production of plastic polymers, are typical examples of such untested chemicals. The chemical diversity of plastic materials on the market and potential mixture effects make it difficult to fill such knowledge gaps.
Recycling of plastic food packaging adds another level of complexity, because contaminants can be introduced during previous uses, waste management, and recycling processes. Depending on the properties and types of the plastic, the cleaning approaches, and recycling procedures, such contaminants can end up in the recycled material and subsequently migrate into the foods. To reduce chemical migration from plastic packaging into foods, consumers can limit the contact time between the food and the packaging, avoid heating foods in the packaging, and use inert materials for storing and preparing foods.
The Food Packaging Forum has published a database on chemicals potentially used in the manufacture of food packaging and other food contact articles: the Food Contact Chemicals Database (FCCdb) summarizes over 12,000 chemicals that may be used in the manufacture of many different food contact materials, such as plastics, paper and board, glass, metal, and printing inks. Additionally, Food Packaging Forum’s Database on Migrating and Extractable Food Contact Chemicals (FCCmigex) provides a systematic overview of more than 4000 chemicals that are present in food contact articles and/or that have been shown to migrate into foods or food simulants.
Harmful substances in single-use plastics may leach into food and beverages, leading to human ingestion of toxic compounds.
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With margins already eroded due to increasing raw material costs, exacerbated by the pandemic, some operators cannot afford to switch to these costly alternatives. Operators with fewer outlets, unlike chained operators, would face higher cost pressures and find it difficult to procure alternatives at a lower cost price, due to the lack of economies of scale.
Coalition Program Manager
Plastic Pollution Coalition
What economic challenges might food and beverage service providers face in transitioning from single-use plastics to reusables?
Businesses that engage in food and beverage service operations, from large event spaces to restaurants, have suffered economic hardships as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising costs due to inflation, and supply chain shortages. Switching to reusables requires businesses to have to make an initial investment in reusables, including dishwashing infrastructure if the business does not have this already. Some businesses also might have to hire additional labor to monitor, collect, sort, sanitize, and store and reusables.
However, what we have seen from case studies of the large majority of food and beverage service, is that switching from disposable packaging to reusable foodware saves businesses on average between $3,000-22,000+ annually by; reducing waste disposal costs, eliminating the need for continuous purchasing of disposable packaging, and elevating the customer dining experience. Additionally, there are many organizations and government programs that offer grants for businesses to help subsidize the initial investment into reusables. Lastly, switching to reusables helps keep communities and streets cleaner, which attracts customers, increases visibility, and ultimately drives sales.
A model of production and consumption, which involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.
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Perhaps the biggest challenge for upcycling is summarised by Hirscher et al. (2018), who observe that upcycling necessitates “systemic changes to the linear fashion scheme, which is currently driven by fast, cheap and low quality production that fosters easy disposal or replacement, due to the low product value for the customer/user”.
How are businesses responding to the demand for more sustainable non-toxic packaging, and what challenges do they face in transitioning to reusable options?
Most businesses will make decisions based on their bottom line, considering which forms of packaging are cheapest that will deliver the end product in a manner with sufficient quality standards. In general, businesses are doing very little to address the pollution and carbon impacts from their packaging operations, and are responding more to the anticipation of government mandates. Common ways that sustainability teams will address packaging is lightweighting, increasing recycled content, and focusing on other metrics in LCAs. However, these initiatives are ineffective in reducing cumulative pollution and often perpetuate the problem. It’s challenging for businesses to transition away from plastic to reuse systems or alternative materials due to the low cost of plastic, the raw material of which is heavily subsidized, and does not accurately reflect the true cost to society.
Encouraging customers to bring their own reusable containers or bags for products, reducing the reliance on disposable packaging provided by businesses.
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Very few retailers have plastic reduction targets at all, and not one appears to have absolute reduction targets (i.e., reducing the total number of plastic packaging units instead of merely lightweighting them). Most retailers have limited data about their plastic footprints, and even fewer seem willing to report with the level of transparency needed to assure the public that they are indeed reducing their plastic footprints.
Global Sustainability Director
Compass at Google
Companies that manufacture or sell large quantities of products in single-use packaging have the biggest opportunity to steer us toward a reusable economy. In-store and online retailers, consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies, and food service companies all consolidate massive scale purchasing into the hands of relatively few decision-makers, creating the opportunity to have a highly leveraged impact. The biggest opportunity may lie in collaboration across companies, perhaps in a given industry, to align on standards for reusable containers that can be shared interchangeably. Current examples include shipping pallets, shipping containers, and refillable propane tanks. When many firms can use the same reusable container, all kinds of efficiencies are created in terms of collection, sanitation, manufacturing and consumer education, among others. In the absence of leadership by companies to jump start a reusable economy, government incentives and regulations are necessary to activate these leverage points.
Providing cost savings for consumers who purchase food items in bulk using reusable packaging, encouraging economic efficiency and waste reduction.
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The Plastics & Climate Project is identifying what data exists and what data is missing in order to account for the full climate impact of plastics and the petrochemicals in them.
Co-Founder & Director
The Plastic & Climate Project
Reusing plastics is advantageous depending on the circumstances, but optimally we would produce and use significantly less plastic to begin with. Even the act of touching plastic, including by wearing synthetic clothes or opening a plastic bottle of water, means that people are absorbing chemical ingredients in plastic, and microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are shedding into the environment where they create additional human and environmental health problems. Reusing and refilling plastic can prevent the purchase of new plastic, which can have the effects of lowering demand and reducing waste. For example, plastic grocery bags can be used many times over for years, and ziplock bags can be reused multiple times. However, reusing or refilling plastic should never be done for consumables owing to the human health impacts of MNP shedding and chemical leaching, though consumables should not be packaged in plastic in the first place. Because plastics shed MNPs as they degrade, there can never be a fully closed loop for these materials. Therefore, even reused plastics have inherent human and environmental health impacts, including on climate. The climate impacts of plastics involve greenhouse gas emissions throughout the plastics lifecycle (CO2, methane, and others), as well as impacts to carbon sequestration in natural carbon sinks, and potentially to the Earth’s radiation budget.
Strategies to decrease the generation of waste, emphasizing the reduction of unnecessary consumption and promoting recycling and reuse. Reusable items contribute to a significant reduction in waste generation, decreasing the amount of single-use items that end up in landfills or as litter, mitigating pollution and environmental harm
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Microplastics and nanoplastics can be absorbed by cells via a number of routes [93]. The primary route is via endocytotic nanoparticle uptake where adhesive interaction of nanoparticles (or inactive permeation of the cell membrane) with channel- or transport-protein occurs.
CEO | Co-founder
Plastic Pollution Coalition
The more we understand that plastic pollutes our bodies, animals, water, air, soil, the oceans, and all living things, the more imperative it is to move towards a world free of plastic and its toxic impacts. Every day is an opportunity to make wiser plastic-free choices and to support and implement infrastructure, companies, policy, and legislation that move us towards a plastic-free planet, and we are on our way there. Onward!
CEO | Co-founder
Greener Solutions
There’s hope for our future, but not without fear. The persistent and toxic impacts of plastic as it degrades into microparticles and microfibers is scary. Microplastics are now found in the depths of the oceans, on the world’s tallest mountains and in human bloodstreams underscoring that there is no such thing as away. Hopefully these microscopic polymers are benign, but science shows them disrupting ecosystems, contributing to climate change and accumulating in human biological systems. The extremely low rate of recycling and mismanagement of plastic disposal means, essentially, that every piece of plastic that ever was—is. Widely adopted shortly after World War II, plastic was hailed as a miracle material. Plastics have improved sanitation, medical procedures and provided many societal benefits. The discovery of microplastics is a materials problem, but it is also a design problem. Polymers were introduced without any means of disposal or reuse. It was meant to be thrown away. Hope argues that heightened awareness of unintended consequences of waste may lead to the eventual detection and removal of all plastics from the natural world. Fear warns that our generation, the next several generations to come, and all life will suffer the consequences.
Microplastics from degraded single-use plastics can enter the human body through ingestion of contaminated food and water.
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About
The Reusables Platform is produced by The Lexicon, an international NGO that brings together food companies, government agencies, financial institutions, scientists, entrepreneurs, and food producers from across the globe to tackle some of the most complex challenges facing our food systems.
Team
The Reusables Platform was developed by Green Brown Blue, an invitation-only food systems solutions activator produced by The Lexicon with support from Food at Google. The activator model fosters unprecedented collaborations between leading food service companies, environmental NGOs, government agencies, and technical experts from across the globe.
This website was built by The Lexicon™, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization headquartered in Petaluma, CA.
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© 2024 – Lexicon of Food™
We have no idea who grows our food, what farming practices they use, the communities they support, or what processing it undergoes before reaching our plates.
As a result, we have no ability to make food purchases that align with our values as individuals, or our missions as companies.
To change that, we’ve asked experts to demystify the complexity of food purchasing so that you can better informed decisions about what you buy.
The Lexicon of Food’s community of experts share their insights and experiences on the complex journey food takes to reach our plates. Their work underscores the need for greater transparency and better informed decision-making in shaping a healthier and more sustainable food system for all.
Professionals at universities and research institutions seeking scholarly articles, data, and resources.
Tools to align investment and grant making strategies with advances in agriculture, food production, and emerging markets.
Professionals seeking information on ingredient sourcing, menu planning, sustainability, and industry trends.
Chefs and food industry professionals seeking inspiration on ingredients and sustainable trends to enhance their work.
Individuals interested in food products, recipes, nutrition, and health-related information for personal or family use.
Individuals producing food, fiber, feed, and other agricultural products that support both local and global food systems.
This online platform is years in the making, featuring the contributions of 1000+ companies and NGOs across a dzen domain areas. To introduce you to their work, we’ve assembled personalized experiences with insights from our community of international experts.
Businesses engaged in food production, processing, and distribution that seek insight from domain experts
Those offering specialized resources and support and guidance in agriculture, food production, and nutrition.
Individuals who engage and educate audience on themes related to agriculture, food production, and nutrition.
Nutritional information for professionals offering informed dietary choices that help others reach their health objectives
Those advocating for greater awareness and stronger action to address climate impacts on agriculture and food security.
Professionals seeking curriculum materials, lesson plans, and learning tools related to food and agriculture.
Over half the world’s agricultural production comes from only three crops. Can we bring greater diversity to our plates?
In the US, four companies control nearly 85% of the beef we consume. Can we develop more regionally-based markets?
How can we develop alternatives to single-use plastics that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Could changing the way we grow our food provide benefits for people and the planet, and even respond to climate change?
Can we meet the growing global demand for protein while reducing our reliance on traditional animal agriculture?
It’s not only important what we eat but what our food comes in. Can we develop tools that identify toxic materials used in food packaging?
Explore The Lexicon’s collection of immersive storytelling experiences featuring insights from our community of international experts.
The Great Protein Shift
Our experts use an engaging interactive approach to break down the technologies used to create these novel proteins.
Ten Principles for Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture? We’ve developed a framework to explain the principles, practices, ecological benefits and language of regenerative agriculture, then connected them to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Food-related chronic diseases are the biggest burden on healthcare systems. What would happen if we treated food as medicine?
How can we responsibly manage our ocean fisheries so there’s enough seafood for everyone now and for generations to come?
Mobilizing agronomists, farmers, NGOs, chefs, and food companies in defense of biodiversity in nature, agriculture, and on our plates.
Can governments develop guidelines that shift consumer diets, promote balanced nutrition and reduce the risk of chronic disease?
Will sustainably raising shellfish, finfish, shrimp and algae meet the growing demand for seafood while reducing pressure on wild fisheries?
How can a universal visual language to describe our food systems bridge cultural barriers and increase consumer literacy?
What if making the right food choices could be an effective tool for addressing a range of global challenges?
Let’s start with climate change. While it presents our planet with existential challenges, biodiversity loss, desertification, and water scarcity should be of equal concern—they’re all connected.
Instead of seeking singular solutions, we must develop a holistic approach, one that channel our collective energies and achieve positive impacts where they matter most.
To maximize our collective impact, EBF can help consumers focus on six equally important ecological benefits: air, water, soil, biodiversity, equity, and carbon.
We’ve gathered domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations working at the intersection of food, agriculture, conservation, and climate change.
The Lexicon™ is a California-based nonprofit founded in 2009 with a focus on positive solutions for a more sustainable planet.
For the past five years, it has developed an “activator for good ideas” with support from Food at Google. This model gathers domain experts from over 1,000 companies and organizations working at the intersection of food, agriculture, conservation, and climate change.
Together, the community has reached consensus on strategies that respond to challenges across multiple domain areas, including biodiversity, regenerative agriculture, food packaging, aquaculture, and the missing middle in supply chains for meat.
Lexicon of Food is the first public release of that work.
Over half the world’s agricultural production comes from only three crops. Can we bring greater diversity to our plates?
In the US, four companies control nearly 85% of the beef we consume. Can we develop more regionally-based markets?
How can we develop alternatives to single-use plastics that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly?
Could changing the way we grow our food provide benefits for people and the planet, and even respond to climate change?
Can we meet the growing global demand for protein while reducing our reliance on traditional animal agriculture?
It’s not only important what we eat but what our food comes in. Can we develop tools that identify toxic materials used in food packaging?
Explore The Lexicon’s collection of immersive storytelling experiences featuring insights from our community of international experts.
The Great Protein Shift
Our experts use an engaging interactive approach to break down the technologies used to create these novel proteins.
Ten Principles for Regenerative Agriculture
What is regenerative agriculture? We’ve developed a framework to explain the principles, practices, ecological benefits and language of regenerative agriculture, then connected them to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Food-related chronic diseases are the biggest burden on healthcare systems. What would happen if we treated food as medicine?
How can we responsibly manage our ocean fisheries so there’s enough seafood for everyone now and for generations to come?
Mobilizing agronomists, farmers, NGOs, chefs, and food companies in defense of biodiversity in nature, agriculture, and on our plates.
Can governments develop guidelines that shift consumer diets, promote balanced nutrition and reduce the risk of chronic disease?
Will sustainably raising shellfish, finfish, shrimp and algae meet the growing demand for seafood while reducing pressure on wild fisheries?
How can a universal visual language to describe our food systems bridge cultural barriers and increase consumer literacy?
This game was designed to raise awareness about the impacts our food choices have on our own health, but also the environment, climate change and the cultures in which we live.
First, you can choose one of the four global regions and pick a character that you want to play.
Each region has distinct cultural, economic, historical, and agricultural capacities to feed itself, and each character faces different challenges, such as varied access to food, higher or lower family income, and food literacy.
As you take your character through their day, select the choices you think they might make given their situation.
At the end of the day you will get a report on the impact of your food choices on five areas: health, healthcare, climate, environment and culture. Take some time to read through them. Now go back and try again. Can you make improvements in all five areas? Did one area score higher, but another score lower?
FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET will help you better understand how all these regions and characters’ particularities can influence our food choices, and how our food choices can impact our personal health, national healthcare, environment, climate, and culture. Let’s Play!
The FOOD CHOICES FOR A HEALTHY PLANET game allows users to experience the dramatic connections between food and climate in a unique and engaging way. The venue and the game set-up provides attendees with a fun experience, with a potential to add a new layer of storytelling about this topic.
Starting the game: the pilot version of the game features four country/regions: Each reflects a different way people (and the national dietary guidelines) look at diets: Nordic Countries (sustainability), Brazil (local and whole foods instead of ultra-processed foods); Canada (plant-forward), and Indonesia (developing countries).
Personalizing the game: players begin by choosing a country and then a character who they help in making food choices over the course of one day. Later versions may allow for creating custom avatars.
Making tough food choices: This interactive game for all ages shows how the food choices we make impact our health and the environment, and even contribute to climate change.
What we eat matters: at the end of each game, players learn that every decision they make impacts not only their health, but a national healthcare system, the environment, climate and even culture.
We’d love to know more about you and why you think you will be a great fit for this position! Shoot us an email introducing you and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Providing best water quality conditions to ensure optimal living condition for growth, breeding and other physiological needs
Water quality is sourced from natural seawater with dependency on the tidal system. Water is treated to adjust pH and alkalinity before stocking.
Producers that own and manages the farm operating under small-scale farming model with limited input, investment which leads to low to medium production yield
All 1,149 of our farmers in both regencies are smallholder farmers who operate with low stocking density, traditional ponds, and no use of any other intensification technology.
Safe working conditions — cleanliness, lighting, equipment, paid overtime, hazard safety, etc. — happen when businesses conduct workplace safety audits and invest in the wellbeing of their employees
Company ensure implementation of safe working conditions by applying representative of workers to health and safety and conduct regular health and safety training. The practices are proven by ASIC standards’ implementation
Implementation of farming operations, management and trading that impact positively to community wellbeing and sustainable better way of living
The company works with local stakeholders and local governments to create support for farmers and the farming community in increasing resilience. Our farming community is empowered by local stakeholders continuously to maintain a long generation of farmers.
Freezing seafood rapidly when it is at peak freshness to ensure a higher quality and longer lasting product
Our harvests are immediately frozen with ice flakes in layers in cool boxes. Boxes are equipped with paper records and coding for traceability. We ensure that our harvests are processed with the utmost care at <-18 degrees Celsius.
Sourcing plant based ingredients, like soy, from producers that do not destroy forests to increase their growing area and produce fish feed ingredients
With adjacent locations to mangroves and coastal areas, our farmers and company are committed to no deforestation at any scale. Mangrove rehabilitation and replantation are conducted every year in collaboration with local authorities. Our farms are not established in protected habitats and have not resulted from deforestation activity since the beginning of our establishment.
Implement only natural feeds grown in water for aquatic animal’s feed without use of commercial feed
Our black tiger shrimps are not fed using commercial feed. The system is zero input and depends fully on natural feed grown in the pond. Our farmers use organic fertilizer and probiotics to enhance the water quality.
Enhance biodiversity through integration of nature conservation and food production without negative impact to surrounding ecosysytem
As our practices are natural, organic, and zero input, farms coexist with surrounding biodiversity which increases the volume of polyculture and mangrove coverage area. Farmers’ groups, along with the company, conduct regular benthic assessments, river cleaning, and mangrove planting.
THE TERM “MOONSHOT” IS OFTEN USED TO DESCRIBE an initiative that goes beyond the confines of the present by transforming our greatest aspirations into reality, but the story of a moonshot isn’t that of a single rocket. In fact, the Apollo program that put Neil Armstrong on the moon was actually preceded by the Gemini program, which in a two-year span rapidly put ten rockets into space. This “accelerated” process — with a new mission nearly every 2-3 months — allowed NASA to rapidly iterate, validate their findings and learn from their mistakes. Telemetry. Propulsion. Re-entry. Each mission helped NASA build and test a new piece of the puzzle.
The program also had its fair share of creative challenges, especially at the outset, as the urgency of the task at hand required that the roadmap for getting to the moon be written in parallel with the rapid pace of Gemini missions. Through it all, the NASA teams never lost sight of their ultimate goal, and the teams finally aligned on their shared responsibilities. Within three years of Gemini’s conclusion, a man did walk on the moon.
FACT is a food systems solutions activator that assesses the current food landscape, engages with key influencers, identifies trends, surveys innovative work and creates greater visibility for ideas and practices with the potential to shift key food and agricultural paradigms.
Each activator focuses on a single moonshot; instead of producing white papers, policy briefs or peer-reviewed articles, these teams design and implement blueprints for action. At the end of each activator, their work is released to the public and open-sourced.
As with any rapid iteration process, many of our activators re-assess their initial plans and pivot to address new challenges along the way. Still, one thing has remained constant: their conviction that by working together and pooling their knowledge and resources, they can create a multiplier effect to more rapidly activate change.
Co-Founder
THE LEXICON
Vice President
Global Workplace Programs
GOOGLE
Who can enter and how selections are made.
A Greener Blue is a global call to action that is open to individuals and teams from all over the world. Below is a non-exhaustive list of subjects the initiative targets.
To apply, prospective participants will need to fill out the form on the website, by filling out each part of it. Applications left incomplete or containing information that is not complete enough will receive a low score and have less chance of being admitted to the storytelling lab.
Nonprofit organizations, communities of fishers and fish farmers and companies that are seeking a closer partnership or special support can also apply by contacting hello@thelexicon.org and interacting with the members of our team.
Special attention will be given to the section of the form regarding the stories that the applicants want to tell and the reasons for participating. All proposals for stories regarding small-scale or artisanal fishers or aquaculturists, communities of artisanal fishers or aquaculturists, and workers in different steps of the seafood value chain will be considered.
Stories should show the important role that these figures play in building a more sustainable seafood system. To help with this narrative, the initiative has identified 10 principles that define a more sustainable seafood system. These can be viewed on the initiative’s website and they state:
Seafood is sustainable when:
Proposed stories should show one or more of these principles in practice.
Applications are open from the 28th of June to the 15th of August 2022. There will be 50 selected applicants who will be granted access to The Lexicon’s Total Storytelling Lab. These 50 applicants will be asked to accept and sign a learning agreement and acceptance of participation document with which they agree to respect The Lexicon’s code of conduct.
The first part of the lab will take place online between August the 22nd and August the 26th and focus on training participants on the foundation of storytelling, supporting them to create a production plan, and aligning all of them around a shared vision.
Based on their motivation, quality of the story, geography, and participation in the online Lab, a selected group of participants will be gifted a GoPro camera offered to the program by GoPro For A Change. Participants who are selected to receive the GoPro camera will need to sign an acceptance and usage agreement.
The second part of the Storytelling Lab will consist of a production period in which each participant will be supported in the production of their own story. This period goes from August 26th to October 13th. Each participant will have the opportunity to access special mentorship from an international network of storytellers and seafood experts who will help them build their story. The Lexicon also provides editors, animators, and graphic designers to support participants with more technical skills.
The final deadline to submit the stories is the 14th of October. Participants will be able to both submit complete edited stories, or footage accompanied by a storyboard to be assembled by The Lexicon’s team.
All applicants who will exhibit conduct and behavior that is contrary to The Lexicon’s code of conduct will be automatically disqualified. This includes applicants proposing stories that openly discriminate against a social or ethnic group, advocate for a political group, incite violence against any group, or incite to commit crimes of any kind.
All submissions must be the entrant’s original work. Submissions must not infringe upon the trademark, copyright, moral rights, intellectual rights, or rights of privacy of any entity or person.
Participants will retain the copyrights to their work while also granting access to The Lexicon and the other partners of the initiative to share their contributions as part of A Greener Blue Global Storytelling Initiative.
If a potential selected applicant cannot be reached by the team of the Initiative within three (3) working days, using the contact information provided at the time of entry, or if the communication is returned as undeliverable, that potential participant shall forfeit.
Selected applicants will be granted access to an advanced Storytelling Lab taught and facilitated by Douglas Gayeton, award-winning storyteller and information architect, co-founder of The Lexicon. In this course, participants will learn new techniques that will improve their storytelling skills and be able to better communicate their work with a global audience. This skill includes (but is not limited to) how to build a production plan for a documentary, how to find and interact with subjects, and how to shoot a short documentary.
Twenty of the participants will receive a GoPro Hero 11 Digital Video and Audio Cameras by September 15, 2022. Additional participants may receive GoPro Digital Video and Audio Cameras to be announced at a later date. The recipients will be selected by advisors to the program and will be based on selection criteria (see below) on proposals by Storytelling Lab participants. The selections will keep in accordance with Lab criteria concerning geography, active participation in the Storytelling Lab and commitment to the creation of a story for the Initiative, a GoPro Camera to use to complete the storytelling lab and document their story. These recipients will be asked to sign an acceptance letter with terms of use and condition to receive the camera.
The Lexicon provides video editors, graphic designers, and animators to support the participants to complete their stories.
The submitted stories will be showcased during international and local events, starting from the closing event of the International Year of Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022 in Rome, in January 2023. The authors of the stories will be credited and may be invited to join.
Storytelling lab participation:
Applicants that will be granted access to the storytelling Lab will be evaluated based on the entries they provided in the online form, and in particular:
Applications will be evaluated by a team of 4 judges from The Lexicon, GSSI and the team of IYAFA (Selection committee).
When selecting applications, the call promoters may request additional documentation or interviews both for the purpose of verifying compliance with eligibility requirements and to facilitate proposal evaluation.
Camera recipients:
Participants to the Storytelling Lab who will be given a GoPro camera will be selected based on:
The evaluation will be carried out by a team of 4 judges from The Lexicon, GSSI and the team of IYAFA (Selection committee).
Incidental expenses and all other costs and expenses which are not specifically listed in these Official Rules but which may be associated with the acceptance, receipt and use of the Storytelling Lab and the camera are solely the responsibility of the respective participants and are not covered by The Lexicon or any of the A Greener Blue partners.
All participants who receive a Camera are required to sign an agreement allowing GoPro for a Cause, The Lexicon and GSSI to utilize the films for A Greener Blue and their promotional purposes. All participants will be required to an agreement to upload their footage into the shared drive of The Lexicon and make the stories, films and images available for The Lexicon and the promoting partners of A Greener Blue.
