As COP27 ends, we reflect on the discussions surrounding the global climate change conference and what we can take away to tackle this global fight. The annual conference presents opportunities for all stakeholders, government leaders and activists to discuss strategies to reduce climate change. The international conference gives global leaders and shareholders the platform to discuss ways to minimise the effects of climate change and the potential impact it could have on the planet. 

COP27 highlighted a solution-focused approach to minimise global surface temperature. Unlike the most recent Climate Week held in New York, which emphasised the ongoing global climate issues.

Now climate change specialists are urging global leaders to develop strategies to mitigate the global warming effects on the planet. There is an emphasis on governments working with businesses to accomplish this. Connecting with countries globally to work together is paramount, and this needs to happen with everyone in the same room. 

Previous COPs emphasised businesses were moving together at the same pace, working together to deliver environmental change. However, with global temperatures reaching record-breaking highs, the race is on, and there has been a shift to urge companies and countries to act as fast as they can.

COP27 bought speculation concerning whether the COPs are the best way to direct positive action against climate change. One word that circled COP27 was ‘greenwashing’ (deceiving customers by falsely advertising natural, green and eco-friendly products). The growing demand for sustainable products in the market means that everyday brands are renaming, rebranding and repackaging products to keep up to date with customers’ needs, but without holding sustainable values at the core of the business. COP27 presented the opportunity to mitigate greenwashing and bring awareness to the issues at stake when deceiving consumers. The conference reminded us that we each have the responsibility to make conscious decisions, an integral part of our lives to make a significant change.

We at Delphis Eco are proud to have sustainability at the forefront of our business values, and as a certified B-corp, we make all business decisions with the planet in mind. 

Freshers week is the week Universities welcome their new students. The week when students move into their student housing and register for their upcoming courses. Whether you are a new student or you’re returning, this is a great time to make new friends, become a little more independent, and finally, fly the nest! Starting University is an exciting time, from deciding which University to attend, to what cleaning essentials to buy, going to university will give you a real sense of what ‘adulting’ is like.

As you navigate university life, budgeting will be an important part of your experience. But if you are environmentally conscious, you don't have to pay a fortune to do your bit.

Also, cleaning products should not only be eco-friendly but also powerful enough to prevent you and your housemates from catching Freshers Flu!

So if you are passionate about our planet, what will you be doing this freshers week? We have a few suggestions to help you make eco-friendly choices this semester.

Freshers Fayre

Passionate about the planet? Why not sign up for an environmental society and make your university more sustainable? Meet up regularly with like-minded people to see what you can do to help the planet, or find out what your university is already doing to become more sustainable.

Parties

Let’s not pretend that Freshers Week is just about signing up to societies; partying the night away is what student life is all about! So ditch the plastic cups for recycled paper cups, or better still, trust your friends with your new glassware and mugs! Party freely whilst reducing your plastics and carbon footprint.

Houseshare Cleaning

Whether it's clearing up after pre-drinks or after a messy house party, we have you covered with our Delphis Eco Student Bundle.

Our Student Bundle contains everything you need to keep your student housing clean this semester. 

These products have been selected to help you on your quest to become more independent whilst looking out for our planet. Our products are vegan-friendly, 100% recyclable, and environmentally positive without breaking the bank. 

Our new Student Bundle contains; 

• Anti-Bac Spray (700ml)
• Washing up Liquid (500ml)
• Hand Soap (350ml)
• Toilet cleaner (750ml)
• Bathroom Cleaner (700ml

Yes, that's right, all our products are free from phosphates and phosphonates, EDTAs, APEs, and VOCs, which are typically found in everyday cleaning products.

Make a positive start to this semester by choosing student-friendly cleaning products that have the planet in mind.

So hopefully by now, you’ve made a bunch of eco-friendly swaps. You’ve stopped buying plastic bottles and you’ve invested in a coffee keep cup. You’ve bought eco-cleaning sprays and have banned scrubs with microbeads from your home. You’ve even invested in some metal straws after seeing the video of that turtle with a plastic straw stuck up its nose. 

However, there is one simple swap you can make alongside all of these - the kitchen sponge. Those innocent sponges you use to keep your house looking in tip-top shape are, unfortunately, probably made of virgin plastic and can’t be recycled. While they are not single-use, they are limited-use and are regularly thrown away. They are just so cheap! 

On average, people in the UK change their sponges at least once every month, with some changing them after every use! Based on our quick maths, this roughly works out to around 600 million sponges being thrown away in the UK each year and that’s only from domestic use. So, imagine that being repeated across lots of different countries and in businesses too. That’s a whole lot of kitchen sponges! 

Are kitchen sponges plastic-free? 

The common sponge, found in the supermarket is made with polyurethane, a petroleum-based material. This means, along with releasing microplastics into the environment, those innocent-looking sponges are made from oil-based plastics too. Yuck! These types of sponges can’t be recycled, so throwing them away will pollute our oceans for years and years to come, ultimately making their way into our own food and water.

The ingredient list gets seemingly worse in that sponges that promise antibacterial benefits are usually treated with toxic chemicals like triclosan, a pesticide that’s been linked to cancer and skin irritation. This chemical is also toxic to most marine life and wreaks havoc on the environment. 

How do you find alternatives? 

Luckily, there are heaps of natural and plastic-free alternatives to sponges. Using materials like loofah, cellulose, and wood pulp, amongst others, means you can finally stop buying the nasty, plastic-filled ones we all know. 

But wait? What exactly IS loofah (sometimes referred to as luffa?). Contrary to popular belief, all-natural loofah is not made from sea sponge or dried coral. It is actually made from a cucumber-shaped plant found in tropical climates. 

Here at Seep, our natural cellulose kitchen sponge and scourer made from loofah fibers is: 

• 100% plastic-free and does not degrade into micro-plastics 
• 100% compostable and can be composted at home in a garden or kitchen composter. You can even chuck them into bokashi composters and wormeries. 

We are pleased to announce that Delphis Eco has been awarded The Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development!

Her Majesty The Queen personally approves the winners, thus recognising and celebrating the ecological cleaning excellence we have achieved at Delphis Eco over the last ten years.

Find out why we've received the Queen's Awards for Enterprises and what we do to for the environment.

How the Netflix Hit reshapes the way we talk about the Climate Crisis



Christmas is also a time for reflection, for relaxation... and a lot of good food. After a busy year - and especially a difficult year like 2021, with the pandemic still very present in our lives - it’s important to have something good to look out for. We all deserve to eat our own body weight in stuffing or pudding and focus on our loved ones, so the environment moves to the back of our minds.

With Christmas being celebrated by over 25 million households across the UK alone, the festive season has a palpable ecological impact. But how bad is it really?

How can we achieve net-zero carbon and halt the climate crisis? By working together to drive widescale, meaningful change.

To this end, our CEO Mark Jankovich meets fellow eco-business leaders to swap insights and inspiration. This week, we’re honoured to welcome Chantelle Nicholson, Michelin green star polymath Chef and owner of Tredwells and All's Well.

Mark Jankovich: Thank you so much for your time and joining us on Collaborate to Zero. As an introduction, Chantelle is a New Zealander, a qualified lawyer, an author, a business woman, a restaurant owner and a sustainability champion. And then also to mention an influential woman in hospitality and a Michelin Green Star chef.

MJ: Today’s conversation is about the restaurant world and how they can collaborate and move forward to net zero. From your personal journey and restaurant career is there a moment or situation you realised we needed to be more aware of sustainability and climate change?

Chantelle Nicolson: I would say I’m very privileged having grown up in New Zealand, surrounded by amazing produce and nature. That really set the tone for me.

MJ: I think for people like us, who grew up in nature, it really becomes a part of you.

MJ: Could you imagine the uptake in plant-based eating we are seeing even just a few years ago?  What’s causing it?

CN: We have got to the point where people are a lot more conscious now. Covid has taught us many things, and these conscious decisions are some of the good to come out of what has happened. I have this vision of us, pre-Covid being on a mouse wheel, constantly going and going and going. It was only when the wheel was stopped for us, we could hop off, sit back and see things in a more 360 approach.

MJ: I agree. It allowed us to stop and take stock. And think about how we want to build back better. If that drives better decisions, then that is the silver lining of a pretty dire situation.

MJ: Your book ‘Planted’ - love the name - is a book not for vegans, but about fantastically tasty food, just without meat. What was your inspiration behind it?

CN: It was two-fold. Firstly, from my perspective, growing up in New Zealand we had so much amazing produce. I love vegetables and enjoy eating them. For me, cooking with more vege was a natural progression. When I opened Tredwells, seven years ago, I wanted to make it really accessible, so to have everything clear on the menu for both allergens and dietary requirements, so guests didn’t have to ask too many questions and feel like it was an effort to find out more about what they could eat. This naturally led to more plant-based options, and thus an environment in which you wouldn’t be judged. Then secondly, as a chef, looking for plant-based recipes to use and inspire, I felt there wasn’t much around. So I wanted to create a resource for others.

MJ: Have you had to push local suppliers?

CN: The challenge is finding them and then getting the local product. It feels a bit harder than it should be and this is across front and back of house with food, beverage, and even cleaning products. We work to find the best things that work for the restaurant and from a wider perspective for the circular economy. If I can do it, then hopefully people will see it is possible and want to do it too.

MJ: Congratulations on your Michelin Green Star!  Do you think restaurants will soon see this as the top Michelin award?

CN: It is something that is needed and needs to be recognised in the industry. Traditionally, waste was recognised but only in terms of food cost. The circular economy never came into it. It needs to be something that affirms what restaurants are doing and give examples of what can be done for others to work towards. It is the beginning of it, so it is a great start.

MJ: Shockingly the supply of food is the worst Green House Gas offender (25%). Construction is only 10%. How do we change it?

CN: For me it is a journey. My team and I are out searching to find best practice. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. The way we change it is by people being more conscious. In terms of restaurants, I don’t believe in preaching to people, as this goes against the joy and pleasure of eating out. Instead, it is about the messaging and communicating that there is more information available if guests want it.  In terms of waste, supermarkets need to do more, from packaging waste and portion sizes. It needs to be a 360 approach, and changes need to be made swiftly. From the farms to retailers to the restaurant, people need to know where their food comes from to get to their plate.

CN: Also in New Zealand, we had to eat seasonally because we were so isolated. In the UK, it was a shock to the system to get asparagus and strawberries in winter when I first arrived. This is all driven by consumption and demand, so instead we need to learn how to make the most of what we currently have. Embracing the imperfect is also important.. We shouldn’t be aiming for constant consistency in looks alone, we should aim for flavour. The consumer demand for consistency and sameness needs to flip to be supply driven, to eat what is available.  

MJ: If you had a magic wand, what would you do or change in the restaurant world?

CN: There is a lot. Sustainability needs to be a 360 degree subject; made up of people, purpose, planet and profit. The hospitality industry has been through a harrowing 14 months. The challenges are real, and currently the biggest is with the staffing crisis. That is not sustainable. Probably one of the biggest things I would also change is to make the true cost of running a restaurant reflected in price to consumers. Everything that goes into it is often not reflected by the price. This would mean that farmers would be paid the true value of their work, and the teams paid for the skills that they have.

MJ: Are you going to COP26 in Glasgow, if yes what will you be doing, if not what should it be highlighting?

CN: TBC on the attending. But I would like action and implementation and not just ‘chat’ at COP.  It is always one thing I find challenging; a lot of talk around the ‘what’, and not enough about the ‘how’. For restaurants, there is no guide or best practice on how to reduce carbon footprint and become more sustainable. That is what I hope to contribute to. To make it easier for everyone else to implement. 

MJ: What are your favourite sustainability brands that are also leading the way?

CN: One is Chef Dan Barber and Blue Hill at Stone Barnes restaurant, where there is no menu as such. Instead, guests get to eat what is best at that time, most of it from local supply. There are a lot of great brands doing good things, such as Cauli Box, obviously what Delphis Eco is doing, and others like Toast Ale and Rubies in the Rubble.

MJ: Is there a podcast or book you would recommend?

CN: There is Silo by Douglas McMaster which is great for restaurants or anyone at home in terms of getting rid of single use plastic like cling film. Another great book is Sitopia by Carolyn Steel. She also wrote Hungry City – both are educational and interesting.  

MJ: The big takeaways are that we need a better platform, and part of this is the platform, we need action coming from Government with real things that we can aim at. Circularity is critical and the manufacturers of tomorrow need to think of circularity. The piece about staff is slightly overlooked but it is critical that we take everyone on the journey with us.

Thank you to Chantelle for adding valuable insight to the restaurant industry and how we can Collaborate to Zero. Chantelle uses Delphis Eco products in her restaurants in order to further reduce the businesses carbon footprint. To find out more about her book and restaurants please visit http://www.chantellenicholson.com/

Read more about one of Chantelle’s favourite sustainability brand Toast in our Collaborate to Zero interview with co-founder and COO Louisa Ziane here.

Switch to eco cleaning products that work and allow you to play a role in helping the environment

With lockdown restrictions lifted, and BBQ season in full swing, there’s a lot to celebrate. It's time to get those barbeques in tip top shape, so you’re ready to host family and friends all summer long.  

Delphis Eco is a plant-based cleaning range that is loved by professionals for its unparalleled performance and approved by the planet for the reduced impact it has on the environment. 

With an impressive list of professional fans in all areas of hospitality and catering,  we have pulled together some top eco-friendly tips and advice from professional chef, Calum Richardson on how to get your BBQ spring and summer fit, clean and safe.

How to get your BBQ sparkling clean in three simple steps using Delphis Eco products?

Getting the BBQ out of storage and ready to cook: Firstly, grab a bucket of water and add Delphis Eco Washing-Up Liquid, specially formulated with natural grease-busting action to remove dirt and grime. Wipe down the BBQ with a cloth or a sponge, then rinse with clean water and allow to dry.

Before cooking: Believe it or not a great BBQ hack is to use an onion. When the grill has started to heat up, attach half an onion to a fork and rub over the hot bars. The water in the onion steam cleans the grill plate / bars. Onions have natural antibacterial properties and if you're cooking with charcoal, you can throw the used onion right into the coals when you're finished to add flavour to whatever you're grilling. 

Cleaning your BBQ after cooking, while it’s cooling down: Lastly, using Delphis Eco Heavy Duty Degreaser on the grill will cut through grease, grime, oil, and fat from hard surfaces. It uses a combination of naturally derived vegetable extracts and powerful surfactants to leave surfaces clean and shiny.  What’s more, with no odour you can be sure that your BBQ fare is free from nasty harmful toxins and you can be confident you are serving up delicious food, tasting as great as it can.

Here’s what Calum Richardson, chef director, The Bay Fish & Chips had to say about Delphis Eco products:

“What’s key with Delphis Eco is, not only is it environmentally friendly, but actually, it is a great product that works on heavy duty grease and grime. If you use bleach for example and it leaves a smell, that smell transfers directly to what you’re cooking, shifting onto food. Delphis Eco provides effective plant-based cleaning in my restaurant and is a great way for you to clean at home and get your BBQ sparkling for spring.”

An eco-friendly way to clean your barbecue

Delphis Eco’s range is the first in the UK to be packaged in recycled plastic bottles made entirely from UK recycled plastic milk bottles. By using Delphis Eco products you will be supporting a circular economy, taking plastic waste out of landfill, incineration and the ocean, and reducing your carbon footprint.      

These products are safe to use on paint, aluminium, metal, and glass, so your barbecue will be clean and ready to be used. Plus, take a look at the EU Ecolabel accredited Delphis Eco Masonry and Stone Cleaner and try it out on your porch, you won’t be disappointed. It removes deep stains, moss, algae, oil, grease, traffic film, soot, limescale, rust, charcoal and efflorescence (white, fluffy salt deposits also called salt-petering) from masonry and stone, including granite, concrete and porcelain.

Click here for our BBQ Hero Bundle.