How to Work With Your Suppliers to Reduce Packaging

Single-use packaging was the ‘norm’ for deliveries for so long that eliminating it may seem impossible. However, while it can be tough to challenge the status quo, eliminating single-use packaging in your deliveries is a goal worth pursuing.  

Across the globe, legislation around single-use plastics is tightening; for example, the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) will begin coming into effect from August 2026. While the requirements for hospitality are currently focused mainly on packaging provided to customers (for example, takeaway boxes), the long-term goals of the legislation are to reduce packaging waste and kickstart a circular approach to material use across the EU. This means that hospitality operators should be planning for long-term shifts in how packaging is handled across the entire value chain, and for increased responsibility to be placed on them down the line. Since environmental legislation like this tends to be replicated in other global regions, businesses in non-EU countries should also take note: this likely signals the beginning of an overall shift toward more reusable delivery packaging systems.  

Hospitality businesses should begin to adjust their procurement practices now; those who get ahead in reducing non-food waste — not only in-house, but through their supply chains — will be better equipped to accommodate further regulatory changes, while building a stronger reputation and potentially reducing costs in the process.  

To provide some inspiration, we asked some of the businesses in our network to share how they successfully reduced delivery packaging and what advice they’d give to others hoping to get started. 

Communication is key 

Dan Hunter is Chef-Owner at Brae restaurant in Victoria, Australia, the country’s first Food Made Good-certified business. He says clear communication is an essential first step. “It’s important to communicate with suppliers about your needs and reasoning. Start a dialogue and let them know that you want to reduce packaging and the associated waste and a reliance on single-use materials. This alone can immediately reduce unwanted or unnecessary packaging arriving to your premises,” he says. “Often, suppliers — particularly fishmongers and butchers — are only doing what they think everyone wants. Any reduction for you will also generally mean a saving for them, too.” 

Working directly with suppliers has also been effective at Desa Potato Head Bali, Indonesia. “Initially, it was very challenging because single-use plastic is the standard delivery method in most of Southeast Asia, including Bali,” says the resort’s Culinary Director, Oliver Truesdale-Jutras. “However, since we started this initiative, several suppliers have fully committed. Some now deliver items in banana leaf or other natural packaging instead of the original. A few key suppliers truly embraced this idea and became some of Bali's top eco-suppliers. Others simply do what needs to be done for us while maintaining their regular practices with other deliveries.” 

Put a policy in place 

To be as effective as possible in eliminating unnecessary packaging from your supply chain, you’ll need to draw a specific boundary — and stick to it. Implement a policy for all suppliers that clearly states that you will not accept deliveries in single-use packaging, with a specified lead time before the policy comes into effect to allow them sufficient time to make the changes required.  

“In September 2017, we made our first policies detailing the ban on single-use plastic for staff, guests and suppliers,” says Oliver, sharing how they hold firm on this rule. “In our receiving area, we maintain a strict policy of accepting only cardboard packaging and a few other recyclables. We reject anything that’s single-use or not upcyclable; we simply remove the product, weigh and log it, and leave the packaging with the suppliers to take away.” 

Work with the right suppliers 

Supporting those suppliers who are willing to make positive changes (and being prepared to switch to someone else if needs be) helps to encourage other suppliers to do the same. When looking for new suppliers, choose those who are demonstrably committed to reducing their environmental impact. Ask whether they have a sustainability policy in place, how they reduce packaging use and what happens to packaging after deliveries. Select suppliers who can provide you with bulk deliveries in reusable and refillable containers, avoid single-use plastic and/or will operate packaging return schemes; having your own policy in place will help you to be firm and clear around this.  

Choosing small-scale, local suppliers and buying directly from producers rather than through wholesalers can often make this process easier. Short supply chains mean there is less time for food to spoil before it gets to your kitchen, so less packaging is needed to keep it fresh. Smaller businesses also tend to be more agile and have more flexibility in their systems, so they’re more likely to be willing to work with you in changing how they deliver their goods. 

Find the right alternatives 

You can work with your suppliers to find suitable alternatives that will work for both parties. Buying in larger quantities means less packaging per kilo of food, so if you have enough storage space, it’s well worth looking for bulk purchases — especially for non-perishable items that won’t spoil before they can be used. Ask suppliers to commit to reduce plastic in deliveries by swapping to recycled and/or reusable packaging; switching to multi-use containers like re-usable crates will work for many foods. This can include very simple changes; for example, Dan says, where cardboard fruit boxes are in good condition, why not simply send them back to the produce supplier to be used by them again?  

Food By Dish is a London-based catering company with two stars in the Food Made Good Standard. They assess the sustainability performance of their suppliers on a yearly basis, using a central procurement team as well as external auditors to obtain accurate, up-to-date information on policies and practices. “Our central supplier for fresh produce, County Supplies, is working on reducing their carbon impact in a number of ways,” says Bryony Mitchison, Head of Sales Development at Food By Dish. “This includes creating new packaging solutions to ensure no plastic is used. Brown paper bags are returned to the County Supplies unit to be recycled or reused, and they ensure that any non-returnable packaging is fully biodegradable.” 

At Brae, Dan can point to a few suppliers who have found smart ways to meet the team where it is. “Schulz Organic Dairy introduced steel milk pails that can be washed and reused, as well as returnable glass bottles. This has been a simple ‘traditional’ way to manage a reduction in dairy packaging waste,” he says. While the restaurant pays more initially for the bottles, they receive a credit for them once they’ve been returned. “We rinse the bottles, return them to their recyclable cardboard packaging and they pick them up the following week when dropping our next delivery.” 

Fish and seafood wholesaler Clamms, based in Melbourne, has implemented their own simple system: their Blue Initiative. “Rather than relying on polystyrene, they just bring the fish in blue crates that can be washed out and reused,” says Dan. “This initiative was introduced by Clamms after a long period of feedback where we were refusing the polystyrene boxes. Now, they understand to not bring polystyrene or single-use plastics to us, as we won’t accept deliveries this way.”  
 

Get your team on board 

It’s critical to ensure that your team is fully informed on your delivery packaging policy and trained in how to handle interactions with delivery drivers to ensure everyone understands the new routine. “It’s also about working with delivery drivers to unpack items into reusable tubs at our end and return the packaging with them, rather than adding it straight to general waste,” says Dan. “The challenge here is consistency – making sure all staff members are on board and relaying the same messaging to the drivers.”   

Get creative 

It’s also worth considering whether you can repurpose or upcycle any packaging materials in-house. “We actually take anything useful and sort it for upcycling by our waste team,” says Oliver. “Styrofoam is a prime example of something that is initially terrible and lasts forever as waste; we struggled a lot with this in the early days, as fish tends to be delivered in Styrofoam and Bali is a seafood-heavy destination. Now, we mix Styrofoam with mussel/oyster shells and pigments to make all our amenity containers and similar items.” The team at Potato Head is also experimenting with how to make long-lasting usable objects from natural materials and cardboard, and how to create dyes and other materials from waste streams wherever possible. 

Dan suggests washing and reusing bulk glass jars (from foods like olives) or food-safe plastic containers (such as those that hold yoghurt or glucose) in your own kitchen. “Rather than buying more containers, you can reuse these for your own dry stores or house-made fermentations like miso or vinegars.” 

Talk about it 

Make sure to share your goals, progress and achievements in your communications with staff and customers. Using tangible, measurable sustainability work as a core part of your messaging can help to bolster your brand reputation, attracting new business, encouraging customer loyalty and easing recruitment and retention. At the same time, sharing your challenges and how you successfully overcame them can inspire other hospitality businesses to review their own packaging situations, creating a ripple effect across the sector and driving change further and faster. 

For more stories and inspiration from around the world, sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn!   

Lead image courtesy of Desa Potato Head Bali.