A Taste of the Region takes a strong stance with regard to its environmental impact ;

• All our packaging is eco-friendly, including paper tape, cardboard boxes, biodegradable filler, cardboard hamper trays, raffia ties and "real" cellophane. Consequently, all our packaging can be recycled.
• Where we can economically find it, we use already-recycled products. Our envelopes, letter paper and A4 cardboard are all consumer-side recycled (in other words, made from recycled paper from consumers as opposed to waste products from manufacturers).
• All the products we offer for sale are sourced and made locally, using local ingredients as much as possible. This reduces the "food miles" environmental cost - a concept that adds the carbon footprint of transporting, warehousing and distributing an item to the carbon footprint of actually making that item.

We would love to be carbon neutral - ie. where we can't avoid a carbon footprint, we would take steps to neutralise that carbon footprint in some way eg. by sponsoring the planting of trees. At this stage in the life of our young business, carbon neutrality is not practical, but it is definitely a strategic goal that we intend to achieve as soon as reasonable.

Placing your orders with us not only encourages our environmentally-friendly business - it also makes a real difference to the way the economy evolves. Smaller, more environmentally sustainable farms, producers and makers continue to flourish, global transportation requirements shrink (a little!), and healthier more natural choices increase.

As crude oil gets harder to find, extract and distribute, and so gets more and more expensive, the sensible choice is to reduce dependency on oil where alternatives exist. Buying 'local' is one way to achieve that by lessening the need for transportation. Even if our goods and hampers are dispatched far and wide, at least they were grown, made, packaged and gathered near to the place of dispatch.

If you have any suggestion that you think would help us here at A Taste of the Region to improve our eco-friendliness, do please let us know.