Ecofriendly Packaging: The Gorb Way

In this series, we review packaging of several companies and using our expertise, suggest improvements. Want to get your product packaging reviewed? Send us a mail to marketing@bizongo.com!  

About Gorb

If I explain Gorb, in extremely simple words, it is a food ordering app. But before you think, “Oh, another one in the food-technology market”, you have to read why they are unique. With nuclear life gaining popularity the term “Ghar ka khaana” has catapulted home cooked meals into an untouchable realm. Also, the exact reason behind the inception of Gorb. Their handpicked chefs prepping multi-cuisine menu tries to reproduce this exact sentiment. According to their website, ‘it’s a kitchen you can download!’. But what caught our attention was their packaging, and what we found out about the company left us speechless.

It’s time to serve

In order to test their packaging, we ordered dishes which were liquid, semisolid and solid in nature- dal, mousse cake and chapati (wheat bread).

Bright and welcoming, isn’t it? That was our first thought as well. But a closer look at their packaging revealed a lot more about the vision of the company when it comes to packaging. Gorb is striving towards an eco-friendly and sustainable packaging solution. If anything, they are setting an environmentally sound example for other food technology ventures. The vision definitely took us by surprise, for two reasons. Firstly, it is no secret that currently plastic packaging is a lot cheaper than biodegradable.

A food technology startup is always conscious about their funds. Secondly, there was a significant emphasis on “responsible packaging”. But how close are they towards their goal of spill proof, sustainable packaging? Let’s find out!

‍Non-Woven Bag

‍Gorb uses a D-cut, machine stitched, 40 GSM non-woven bag without gusset. They have 3-color printing on the brilliant yellow fabric and the choice of colors is quite eye-catching. It also helps in distinguishing the brand from afar.

Unfortunately, from an eco-friendly point of view, non-woven bags have mixed reviews. From the government to experts, non-woven bag as a sustainable product is still a debatable topic. But comparing it to polythene, non-woven bags are readily chosen for reuse. Driving their sustainable packaging agenda, Gorb has wisely chosen non-woven bag. Also, depending on non-woven bags from the very beginning allows for smooth expansion into plastic banned states.

‍Food Containers

‍Gorb easily has one of the best quality food containers we have laid our eyes on.

They deliver food in Biopac round containers with an exorbitant price tag on it. Just from the pictures above, you can sense a quality difference from a normal disposable food container. These containers are stackable and quite sturdy. The containers were blue and orange in color, neatly packaged with an additional security of adhesive tape. While we were wondering about the cost of containers, one of our Bizongo colleagues decided to use it for storing coffee. After washing it, obviously. But it explained quite clearly how intensely Gorb is chasing their sustainable vision, one customer at a time.

What we like: With not many ecofriendly options in the market, Gorb made an effort and touched the effective recyclability of products.

Cutlery

‍Spoons or forks? That is the big cutlery question. Cutlery, tissues and mouth fresheners, is a luxury which every food and hospitality business has to afford. If you do not, you are probably inviting scathed remarks on your bad service. Gorb chose the road less traveled: Sporks. It works well for rice, dal, chicken, desserts, noodles, pasta, etc. Sporks successfully reduce plastic waste by 50% by replacing both spoons and forks with just one item.

Despite being happy with their choice of cutlery, they have used a plastic spork. It actually brought it down by a level for us. But the cutlery came wrapped in a paper pouch which was welcoming. A lot of players in the food and hospitality industry, send it in a plastic case adding to the waste footprint. Using paper, definitely reduced their waste contribution several times over.

Bizongo Tip: With budget to spare, Gorb should opt for sporks made from cornstarch. These are eco-friendly and costs only 40 paise extra.

Aluminium Pouch

Gorb decided to use an aluminium pouch for delivering rotis (wheat bread).

It was a definite disappointment since Gorb is looking into drive the sustainable packaging arena. We were hoping for a more unconventional idea.

Bizongo Tip: Instead of using aluminium pouches, rotis can be easily folded into a paper pouch. These are cost effective and are degradable as well.

Final Result

Bizongo Score:

We like how Gorb has put so much thought behind their packaging. It was spill proof, hot when delivered, and was easy to open. We liked how user-friendly it was. One star is solely for their efforts towards promoting eco-friendly products. Having said that, the cost of the overall packaging is too high and does not reduce waste in an impactful manner. They need to scour the market extensively for more sustainable options. One which wholly supports their sustainable vision.

‍Note: This is an unbiased, unpaid review written solely to share knowledge benefitting the packaging community.