New Tool to Transform the Food Service Industry with Innovative Sustainability Analytics

Seattle, WA - Environmental nonprofit Upstream today at GreenBiz Circularity launched an innovative new product: Chart-Reuse™, the industry’s first foodware reuse analytics platform. This tool—designed for food service businesses and large-scale concessionaires serving client venues and campuses, and chains with multi-sites across the US—helps these businesses transition and manage their shift from single-use to reusable foodware, while calculating the environmental and economic benefits.

Currently, one trillion disposable food and beverage packaging items are used each year in the US, comprising 67 percent of litter found in the environment. Through their work with food service providers, the staff at Upstream learned that many wanted to shift away from single-use, disposable foodware, but they were concerned about costs. If they decided to move forward with a reuse program, they wanted to be able to understand the environmental benefits and tell that story to their customers and stakeholders. 

Given these key insights, Upstream engaged a team of software developers, UX experts, and beta testers from the foodservice industry to create Chart-Reuse. The application enables data driven decision-making and helps businesses measure and understand the impacts, and market the benefits, of their move to a reusables food service program. 

The Chart-Reuse software works through inputting or uploading single-use procurement data, then formulates reusable options to replace them. Users receive a customized impact report showing the projected cost savings, the return on investment, the break-even period, and the avoided greenhouse gas emissions and waste prevented. Impact reports show the data in aggregate and also by individual product—so that users can decide where to prioritize their efforts based on multiple factors. 

From previous research, Upstream knew that switching from single-use to reuse for dine-in across the country and for take-out and food delivery in U.S. metro areas will result in: 

• 17 billion pieces of litter prevented from entering our waterways through new reuse systems.

• 841 billion disposable food packaging items avoided (86 percent) and 7.5 million tons of materials averted – reducing climate impacts, water use and natural resource extraction;

• $5 billion saved by food service businesses by no longer procuring disposables for on-site dining;

• $5.1 billion saved by businesses and communities from avoided solid waste costs from no longer using disposables; and

• 193,000 new jobs created regionally in collections, washing, logistics, delivery, etc.

And—in keeping with their vision that 30 percent of consumable goods be sold in reusable formats in the U.S. and Canada by 2030—they wanted to set that impact in motion. 

Access works on a subscription basis, with a free demo and commitment-free, 30-day free trial available to all interested users. Learn more at www.chart-reuse.eco.