Find Your Eggs
Nature’s Yoke Cartons Now Made from 100% Post-Consumer Paper – No More Plastic!
George Weaver IV (left) and George Weaver III (right) holding the new Nature’s Yoke’s 100% post-consumer paper carton filled with free-range eggs.
We at Nature’s Yoke are thrilled to announce our plan to eliminate plastic cartons! In 2019, we made the commitment to eradicate our single-use plastic in 2021. Now we are finally ready to share this commitment with you. Our hope is that, by working together, we can all make a difference in our planet. As a company, we couldn’t be more delighted, and we know you are too!
By eliminating all our plastic egg packaging, Nature’s Yoke will reduce the number of plastic cartons used within the egg industry by 4,560,090 cartons annually. Lined up end to end, the over 4.5 million cartons would cover 864 miles. That’s nearly the distance between New York City and Chicago.
The Path to Plastic-Free Egg Cartons
While the majority of our eggs have always been available in pulp cartons, some were packaged in a type of plastic known as recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET).
Until now, using rPET allowed Nature’s Yoke and other companies to make a significant step toward a safer, healthier environment. The rPET’s had definite advantages over the previously used PVC (a material which is difficult to break down and extremely hazardous to humans and the planet).
What Happened? Why is rPET No Longer the Best Choice?
The positive benefits of rPET have recently been negated by China’s ban on recycling plastics. But even more, there has been a global realization that individual recycling efforts alone are not enough to protect the planet.
While consumers and product producers certainly share responsibility for taking care of the environment, consumers have carried much of the load up to this point. According to a 2018 Scientific American article, More Recycling Won’t Solve Plastic Pollution, it’s time for companies to take action!
Why Eliminating Single-Use Plastic Makes Sense for Nature’s Yoke
As a family-run business that values thoughtful stewardship of resources, we have always been committed to doing the right thing. George Weaver IV, the fourth generation of Weavers to guide Nature’s Yoke, couldn’t have put it better:
“Along with the problems associated with single-use plastic, our decision to switch completely to renewable egg cartons reflects our 55-year commitment to sustainability, good stewardship and always considering future generations. The bottom line is that plastic is ruining our earth, oceans, animals and air. We understand it’s a challenging problem and there’s no simple solution, but where we see an opportunity to make better choices, we always will. Every small step counts.”
We are excited about the decision we’ve made and to bring our new 100% post-consumer paper cartons to stores. We also know that we’re not the only ones who have been eager to see Nature’s Yoke stop using plastic.
Listening to You
As we began to explore the financial and practical implications of going plastic free last year, we also began to hear from many of our customers. While they told us they loved that we offer organic, Certified Humane and non-GMO eggs. They shared openly with us what they thought about our rPET cartons – and we couldn’t be more grateful.
Our Nature’s Yoke customers take the three R’s of environmental health seriously (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). But recently many have also begun to practice the newest R to join the list … REFUSE.
Nothing pleases us more than knowing that our deep commitment to creating a healthier planet is shared by our customers. In fact, the hardest part of all of this has been not being able to tell you … until today!
Why the wait?
We have very high standards (as we know you do too) regarding the type of non-plastic carton we want to use going forward. Finding the right carton took quite some time, as did finalizing the arrangements.
Now we are finally at the point where we can spread the news far and wide! You may still see some plastic cartons in stores as our old look finishes out, but we are WELL ON OUR WAY!
In the Meantime …
Help us spread the news about Nature’s Yoke’s decision to go plastic free. We invite you to do this by sharing our social media posts with your friends, family, co-workers and the other companies who carry your favorite products.
After all, it’s going to take everyone working together. That means consumers and companies alike. Let’s all work together to make the difference our planet desperately needs us to make!
