When we had the idea for Root Kitchen, our focus was to build as sustainable a business as possible. We also wanted to be sustainable right the way across our operations and contribute positively on everything from our planet and also our local community.

Our commitment to social and environmental sustainability is at the core of Root Kitchen and everything we’ve done over the past two years has been guided by these with these principles.

Let’s get started by taking a look at the environmental sustainability part of Root Kitchen.

Environmentally Friendly Packaging

Gone are the days of only having the option of cheap, none recyclable black plastic trays. Right back in the days before we started, we knew we had to find a better solution for Root Kitchen, as we didn't want to be responsible for adding an further plastic pollution in to the wider environment. Luckily, as our family has been in the ready meal manufacturing business for a number of years and has some great relationships with packaging suppliers, we were able to find an awesome solution: our, recyclable, cardboard trays.

The next step was to find suppliers for our outer sleeves, ice packs, insulation and delivery boxes, which are essential for your food to arrive not only safe but in perfect condition as it is transported from our kitchen to your door. We decided to go for recyclable sleeves and special insulation box liners that are made from recycled denim which is a by product of the clothing industry.

Cardboard boxes are a popular option for delivery services like us, and offer the benefit of being recyclable. But the way we see it, why recycle when you can reuse? We can provide customers with a collect plus label so they can be returned to us free of charge and used again. This way you don’t have to throw away the packaging every time you receive a Root Kitchen delivery and can save them up and once you have a few return them to us.

Researching food safe and sustainable packaging options was one of the most time intensive jobs we had before we launched and we are always on the lookout for options that'll allow us to spot the latest sustainable options, so if there is something you know about, feel free to let us know on hello@rootkitchen.uk.

Carbon Neutral delivery from our kitchen to your door

Once our packaging was 'boxed off' (sorry), we had to figure out the most sustainable way to get our meals from our kitchen in Lancashire to address across the UK. We wanted a delivery partner that could deliver our meals in perfect condition with as little impact on the environment as possible and we ended choosing a company that offers a carbon neutral service. Our courier has a commitment to being carbon neutral and offsets their transport emissions by financing renewable and cleaner energy production projects through the
purchase of carbon credits.  We know there are even friendlier ways to do this, such as delivery by bicycles or even walking, but due to the fact that we delivery nationally and need our food to arrive in perfect condition whilst remaining food safe, third party carbon neutral delivery is currently the best option we have.

Food Glorious Food

The most important part of Root Kitchen is, of course, our meals. We are lucky to live in an area of the country, Lancashire, that has some amazing fresh produce suppliers and this was awesome new for us as we wanted to make the journey from farm to fork as short as possible so we source our ingredients from as local to our kitchen as possible. The benefit of frozen food (as well as locking all the essential nutrients in) is that it is an excellent way of managing food waste as all of our meals have a minimum of 12 months frozen shelf life and have been nutritionally balanced to ensure that they are the perfect size for one adult portion.

We’re constantly improving and working hard to make every part of our business as environmentally friendly as possible, and we hope to only get better as we grow and learn more. To stay in touch, why not sign up to our newsletter in the footer of our home page to keep up to date with all that we’re doing at Root Kitchen.

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