The footprint of international, local, city, and state-wide bans on polystyrene foam food containers has been slowly spreading since the early 2000s.

A number of independent, grassroots efforts slowly gained traction, and it seems they’ve now reached critical mass. The result: Dart Container Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of foam cups and containers, is suspending their expanded polystyrene, or Styrofoam, dinnerware.

It’s hard to overstate the significance of this move. Dart produces as many foam cups and containers as all their competitors combined. By shifting their dinnerware production to renewable resources like sugarcane fiber bagasse, paper pulp, and bioplastic, Dart is shifting the face of the industry. The company’s peers are sure to follow, if they haven’t already.

There’s a growing environmental conscious in foodservice —it’s long overdue. Just last month, Eleven Madison Park announced that it would reopen with a 100% plant-based menu. When it comes to industry trend setters, everyone has their eye on what Executive Chef Daniel Humm is doing, so his move is certain to draw more attention than any predecessor who adopted vegan cuisine.

At Singer Equipment Company, we’re consciously shifting business practices to ones that have a smaller environmental footprint, going beyond the products we sell. ECO-NUTS are the peanuts we use to pack shipments. They are made of water-soluble plant-based starch – which can be composted or dissolved in the sink! While we embrace all things digital media, we still need our printers. That’s why we opt for carbon-neutral printing.

Our individual choices, our choices as a company, and our manufacturer partners’ choice all add up. By saying “Farewell to Foam” and hello to biodegradable materials and, we’re proud to say that our focus is on the planet and its future. To learn more, email [email protected].