Cake…and plastic! Looking for help

Hi! I am just about to open a cake shop in Stockholm, Sweden and our focus is on sustainability. We wont have any disposable packaging and I have found many great solutions.

One of the items I am struggling to find a reusable option for is the cake boards. They are quite thin at around 3mm and go between the cake layers (think wedding cake). We can’t use wood as it warps and reacts to moisture and changes in temperature, so I thought about recycled plastic (ideally HDPE as I hear its best for food). Anyone have any idea where I could get sheets of recycled HDPE? Any other suggestions welcome!

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Hi, before you do, check with the HACCP authorizations, if it is allowed. It is not easy as with ‘virgin’ plastic. When you use recycled materials, there are different rules I am afraid. But ut is proving, for example with re-PET. Otherwise you can order it form somewhere else, ask money for it, and when people bring it back, you can recycle it. Or you can also use porcelain, but always try to get it back. That one you can wash and use again. 🙂 If I had my cake shop 😉 haha, I would sell my cakes together with the plate 🙂 like beautiful ceramic or plastic 😉 cake bases 🙂 🙂 🙂 Good luck with your shop 🙂

The problem with recycled plastic including HDPE isn’t the stability of the plastic but the potential unknown additives and contaminants leaching out. Most countries have strict regulations for contact with wet food.

Thanks Zsazsa! Shame, I did read some research to say HDPE is just as stable after being recycled. I will look into it with the HACCP.
Everything will be returned by the customer, so definitely will  be reused. Sadly ceramic is way to thick and heavy for the middle of layered cakes, I did speak to a few people and it ended up not being a viable option.