Cody Irwin
VFR: Cody, tell us about yourself and your journey to founding Sharewares, a city-wide platform for reusable packaging and containers.
Cody Irwin: A little bit about me: I'm farm-born from Manitoba, city-raised in Toronto, and now based in beautiful Vancouver, B.C. After graduating from McGill University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, I spent a decade running a corporate food service business until the COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down, and we dropped 98% overnight. But as they say, every cloud has a silver lining, and, for us, that came in the form of government support subsidies that allowed us to pivot our team and resources toward a new and exciting mission: ending the world’s waste crisis with ShareWares.
VFR: At VFR, we talk a lot about food waste, but we don’t know as much about the level of waste from packaging and containers in the food and beverage industry. Can you tell us about the magnitude of this issue as well as the problems it presents?
CI: Holy packaging waste, Batman! Did you know that in Vancouver alone, we trash over 440 million cups and takeaway containers each year? Food packaging makes up about half of what is picked up from our streets and beaches. It’s enough to make you want to shout, "enough already!"; but by ditching single-use items, we can make a real difference in our community and the environment. I want to bring together the community to do our part to reduce waste and protect our planet together.
You can learn more about this issue through Metro Vancouver’s Single-Use Item Reduction Toolkit.
VFR: As we become more sustainability-minded, are you seeing a shift in the food and beverage industry around the issue of less packaging and container waste? And are there any points of resistance to change, and how might they be overcome?
CI: Absolutely! Things are really heating up in the world of sustainable packaging. Big brands are finally taking notice and ShareWares is thrilled to be a part of the movement toward an eco-friendlier future. In just our first year of operation, we teamed up with Tim Hortons to launch their reusable cup borrowing program and partnered with SkipTheDishes to start ditching packaging waste from their restaurant partners. Sure, there is still some resistance to using reusable containers, but we're not giving up that easily. We're working hard to make it as easy as possible to choose the sustainable option by ramping up retail availability and expanding our collection avenues - think home and office pick-up, in-store bins, and street-side collection. With the help of our community, we can make a real difference in making waste a thing of the past.
VFR: Please walk us through the services offered by Sharewares. How does it work?
CI: Don't let anyone tell you that going green has to be complicated - with our service, it's as easy as a stroll in the park (or a brisk jog, if that's your thing). Here's how it works: businesses buy reusable packaging from us for a small fee per item, plus a fully refundable deposit (think $0.25 fee + $1.50 deposit per cup+lid set). Their staff then stock, fill, and serve the containers, just like they would with single-use items, with the only difference being the addition of the deposit (kind of like how bottle deposits work).
When the customer is done, they simply scan the QR code on the packaging to find a return location and get their deposit back via email transfer through their online account (which is set up automatically when they scan the product - it's super seamless). Once the packaging is returned, we give it a thorough scrub, sanitize it to the nines, and inspect it before packing it up to be redistributed. It's like magic - only better because it's real.
VFR: On an individual level, what are some of the various ways we can reduce our own packaging and container waste? And how can we support this wider movement among food businesses to do the same?
CI: Great question! There are plenty of fun and easy tips for reducing waste in your everyday life. You can start by following low-waste and zero-waste folks on social media - they share all kinds of helpful advice. For instance, you can try using bar soaps, shampoos, and conditioners that often come with minimal or no packaging. Another great tip is to put a clean washable cloth in with your fresh greens to absorb moisture and increase their fridge life. This not only saves food waste but also decreases packaging waste by reducing the need to buy more containers as often.
If you want more ideas, be sure to follow us on Instagram: @share.wares. And why not try some of the fantastic package-free and zero-waste businesses around town, like The Soap Dispensary, Kind Cafe, Nada, and ShareWares (pro tip: order grocery delivery from Nada, select home pick up from Nada when you scan a ShareWares product, then leave it out for Nada to collect, and get your full refund without leaving your home...It doesn't get much more convenient and low-waste than that).
Lastly, you can also ask your local food vendors if they have talked to ShareWares about reducing their packaging waste. Successful businesses listen to their customers and care about their feedback, so your voice can make a powerful impact on the movement away from single-use items.
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