UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2019

MILAN-BASED Alice Casiraghi places a premium on sustainability. She likes supporting small, family- owned shops to promote organic and local products.

needed. But I also – and I think this is a skill that many people have lost – try to rescue food before it goes bad. For example, by turning overripe berries into jam or even by simply remembering to put food into the freezer before it goes bad." Anna Kuusela , a life coach and author of The Wander Woman’s Playbook , is a Finnish transplant to London and a staunch advocate against food waste. “I travel a lot and often have meetings with clients, so it makes more sense sometimes not to cook for myself. I don’t want to buy food and then end up throwing it away because I’m not home to eat it.” Anna uses apps like Ocado to order food for takeaway. “I also order fruits and vegetables through Abel & Cole. They deliver a box with enough ingredients for about two big salads, and since I live alone, it’s usually enough for four servings. I like their farm-to-table approach and the fact that they pick up the empty box from my flat, too.”

As more and more consumers in countries like China – whether they live alone or not – leave the local wet markets for the convenience offered by supermarkets, the need for labels for packaged foods will grow. At the same time, brand owners are likely to respond to the growing trend of single person households by launching smaller package sizes instead of the family or value saver packs that have been popular in years past. Waste not, want not Milan-based Alice Casiraghi , a service designer by trade who co-founded Future Urban Living with Lulu, places a premium on sustainability. “I am not a fan of chain supermarkets, because I see a lot of waste in their packaging. I prefer going to small shops run by families and putting my purchases in a reusable bag,” she notes. “I’m lucky to live in a country with high quality produce and I want to make sure I respect food by not wasting it. Part of this is buying only what’s

u

Single-person households have the advantage of autonomy. As consumers, this gives singletons immense power – to choose products that reflect their beliefs and values. Sustainability, especially of the packaging used, is proving to be one of the most important determinants of what makes it into a singleton’s shopping basket.

22 | UPM BIOFORE BEYOND FOSSILS