As environmental awareness is becoming more and more important for individuals. Consumers all over the world are adopting environment-friendly products. As a part of environmental awareness, consumers are looking for sustainable products alternatives to harmful plastic.
Stainless steel is an excellent substitute for plastic as it is more sustainable and healthier for the environment. The use of stainless steel for food and beverage containers has taken the world by a storm. With the same thought in mind, there’s an ongoing debate on stainless steel tiffins vs plastic tiffins.
Instead of using lunch boxes made up of plastic, try stainless steel lunch boxes. If you don’t know the benefits of using stainless steel tiffins over plastic ones, this guide is for you.
Let’s start comparing.
Difference Between Stainless Steel and Plastic
Plastic is everywhere. Think of one product in your life that doesn’t have plastic associated with it somehow. The use of plastic has become too frequent, which is harmful for you and the environment.
Most plastic products are made from petroleum-based chemicals. It’s used to make bags, containers, boxes, electronics, appliances. It’s so popular because it’s lightweight and offers durability.
Plastic is prone to cracking, buckling, leaching, discolouring and it doesn’t break down. It takes hundreds of years for plastic to break down. That’s why plastic is so harmful for our oceans.
Stainless steel is a metal alloy. Alloys are made from combining two or more metals. The metal becomes stainless when iron is merged with chromium. Iron is known for its strength and chromium is known for its ability to withstand heat and corrosion. Stainless steel is a great metal to make food and beverage containers. Stainless steel has different grades of metals, depending on the percentage of chromium used.
5 Reasons Why You Should Use a Stainless Steel Lunch Box Instead of Plastic
As convenient as plastic is, they shouldn’t be your first choice for lunch boxes and bottles. Moreover, they can have long-lasting health effects. Here’s why stainless steel lunch boxes are better than plastic bottles.
#1. It is non-toxic and clean
Plastic poses endless harmful effects to your body in the long run. Some of the reports regarding harmful effects of plastic are very alarming. Research has shown a connection between BPA and various health problems like infertility, hormonal induced diseases, tumors and metabolic disorders.
Plastic containers like lunch boxes leach BPA in the food that’s stored inside. Research has also shown that we tend to get atleast 90% of BPA in our bodies through plastic food packaging and containers.
Because of plastic containers, micro-plastic is able to enter our blood streams, and every research suggests harmful health consequences. Plastic is also a good host for bacteria, with some research suggesting harmful health consequences.
Firstly, stainless steel has no health hazard related to BPA. Stainless steel tiffins is the preferred material when it comes to storing foods. Just take a look inside the kitchens of 5 star restaurants and you’ll see nothing but stainless steel.
Stainless steel doesn’t store bacteria, and it doesn’t leach any harmful chemicals. Food stored inside will never be tainted with any poisonous chemicals.
#2. It is durable
Plastic lunch boxes are lightweight and semi-durable. The only benefit of plastic lunch boxes is that they’re super convenient. The cons of plastic lunch box may outweigh the pros when it comes to plastic vs stainless steel lunch boxes.
With long-term use, plastic boxes can become tainted with color from the food inside. Over time, plastic starts decaying and starts showing a yellow-ish color.
Another thing that you need to keep in mind is that you can’t store acidic food in plastic containers. This is because plastic boxes tend to become more prone to breaking.
Above all, plastic lunch boxes simply don’t offer the same strength and durability as stainless steel lunch boxes do. With exposure to sunlight, exposure can brittle and chip.
Stainless steel on the other hand is highly durable. The hardest stainless steel is so strong and durable that it is used as a base for appliances such as machinery, factory equipment, domestic appliances, cutlery, and cookware.
When you pack your food in a stainless steel lunchbox, you don’t have to worry about bacteria leaching into your food. Most importantly, stainless steel lunch boxes are so durable that they can handle drops, bumps, and falls.
#3. It is reusable
Plastic is known for not being a recyclable material. Even if it can be recycled, the process is complex and consumes a lot of energy which isn’t sustainable for the planet.
Also as plastic is synthetic, plastic lunch boxes will not decompose by the end of their life cycle when they’re thrown away. It hurts soil’s fertility, and it also harms plant life and animals. Plastic lunch boxes that are left in the ocean also hurt marine life and marine animals.
Stainless steel lunch boxes and their durability are the reason why they last for years at the end. In fact, their non-toxic properties make them the best option for reuse. Another reason why you should choose stainless steel tiffins vs plastic tiffins is that they keep your food safe from air particles.
#4. Harms the oceans and aquatic life
Plastic is slowly harming the environment and it’s breaking down the marine ecosystem. As plastic isn’t biodegradable, the micro-plastics are swallowed by aquatic life. A lot of aquatic life dies off because of negative health effects of plastic.
Some marine animals even end up suffocating due to plastic waste. Using stainless steel lunch boxes can help you prevent marine life losses. Stainless steel can be 100% recycled, and they’re long lasting so they can help you be more sustainable.
You can also save a lot of money as you won’t have to keep buying new lunch boxes. After all, metal is far more durable than plastic. If you care for the lunch box properly, it can last for years without any worries.
#5. Helps protecting the land
Did you know? 91% of all plastic isn’t recycled. Massive amounts of plastic waste ends up in garbage, creating landfills. Millions of tons of plastic in landfills affect the environment negatively every single day. This plastic waste releases toxins, which hampers soil fertility.
To begin with, stainless steel doesn’t have any toxins. So, there’s almost little to no risk of environmental pollution. As a matter of fact, there’s no need to dispose of stainless steel lunch boxes. Stainless steel lunch boxes can be recycled with ease so you don’t even have to throw them away.
If you care about the environment, you can use stainless steel lunch boxes over their plastic counterparts.
Final Take
The only thing to note is that you should use stainless steel lunch boxes over a plastic lunchbox. If you’ve been looking to buy a stainless steel bottle, then check out Pexpo’s stainless steel lunch box collection.