Latest / Best of Business / James Calver: Ecoware co-founder on David Seymour's new school lunches using 'wasteful' packaging

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James Calver: Ecoware co-founder on David Seymour's new school lunches using 'wasteful' packaging · Best of Business

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  Speaker 2: Now there are more complaints about David Seymour's changes to
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  Speaker 2: the school lunches program. This time it's over the packaging,
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  Speaker 2: because the new lunches come in quote wasteful aluminium trays
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  Speaker 2: and non compostible packaging. Co founder of Eco Where James
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  Speaker 2: Calver is with us on this, Hey James, how are
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  Speaker 2: you well? Thank you mate? So was this your first
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  Speaker 2: thought when you saw the lunches being served up a
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  Speaker 2: Parliament on Tuesday? Bad packaging?
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  Speaker 3: I wasn't the first thought, no second thought. I didn't
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  Speaker 3: actually count, but it was definitely a deep thought and
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  Speaker 3: a consideration.
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  Speaker 2: What's your concern about the aluminium because I thought aliminium
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  Speaker 2: was recyclable.
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  Speaker 3: And what way did you think it was recyclable at
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  Speaker 3: a national level?
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  Speaker 2: Well don't I just thought it was recyclable, is it not.
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  Speaker 3: I don't really have concerns about the aluminium specifically, just
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  Speaker 3: and you know, essentially what we're kind of dealing with
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  Speaker 3: it two of the world's most severe and I guess
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  Speaker 3: challenging crisises that into relate and we've got food and water,
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  Speaker 3: and we've got an environmental kind of race, And I
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  Speaker 3: just wanted to kind of bring to front of mind
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  Speaker 3: the fact that, you know, we've spent four four or
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  Speaker 3: so years with a program educating key week heads and
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  Speaker 3: feeding them with nutritious lunches, and then too, you know,
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  Speaker 3: look at it in a narrow mindset and rule out
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  Speaker 3: the kind of future generations in terms of you know,
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  Speaker 3: considering environmental impact. Was worth a discussion.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, So the bottom bit of the tray is aluminium,
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  Speaker 2: and then the top bit that goes on the lid.
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  Speaker 3: What is that. I'm not supplying it, but I would
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  Speaker 3: assume that it would be a paperboard with potentially a
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  Speaker 3: polypropylene or a plastic lining.
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  Speaker 2: And that's not compossible, is it.
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  Speaker 3: I'm actually not sure because at the moment we're still
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  Speaker 3: supplying a growing number of the school.
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  Speaker 2: The only reason I'm asking you this to, James, is
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  Speaker 2: because your press release is wasteful aluminium trays and non
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  Speaker 2: compostible packaging.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so I just wanted to understand the concept of
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  Speaker 3: how you've thought it was recyclable, because at the national level,
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  Speaker 3: my understanding is that there is you know, limiteds or
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  Speaker 3: limited ability and infrastructure to essentially recycle contaminated eleminium trades.
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  Speaker 3: And I don't see and I don't see a way
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  Speaker 3: that schools can.
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  Speaker 2: Wash or the ELEMENTI five just setting up another aluminium
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  Speaker 2: recycling plant.
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  Speaker 3: I think he's making cans for fity drinks, isn't it.
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  Speaker 3: I'm not sure.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Okay, now, James, I've got to ask this question, right,
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  Speaker 2: is the reason that you're upset about this because you've
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  Speaker 2: lost business because you were doing eco friendly packaging previously
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  Speaker 2: for the schools.
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  Speaker 3: Well, you haven't lost any business. We've actually been essentially
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  Speaker 3: involved with a program since inception and have rolled. But
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  Speaker 3: I guess the government's previous instructions and have been you know,
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  Speaker 3: kind of cool.
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  Speaker 2: So you're not going to lose any business. You're going
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  Speaker 2: to continue to supply packaging for this program.
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  Speaker 3: To the best of my knowledge, right now, we're continuing
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  Speaker 3: to grow, and we're growing in a sustainable way, but
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  Speaker 3: we're also educating children for a you know, a sustainable future.
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  Speaker 3: But at the same time, I just want to understand
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  Speaker 3: the cost cuts that you are considering or talking about. Yeah,
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  Speaker 3: how many school lunch school lunches were sent out this year.
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  Speaker 3: How many will be sent out next year?
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  Speaker 2: No, I don't know.
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  Speaker 3: Tell me, I'm asking. I'm not sure, but I just
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  Speaker 3: wanted to understand the reference of the one hundred and
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  Speaker 3: sixty five million dollars cost saving.
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  Speaker 2: I didn't did I say one hundred and sixty five
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  Speaker 2: million dollar cost saving or the.
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  Speaker 3: Cost saving that your referenced yesterday? And I just wanted
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  Speaker 3: to understand.
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  Speaker 2: Game was listening A long time listener, first time caller.
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  Speaker 2: Appreciate it. Thank you, James the whole style James Calder
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  Speaker 2: echo
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