Alliance National, one of Britain’s biggest catering suppliers, has announced it will offer only environmentally friendly ‘crackless’ crackers to its customers, which include dozens of care homes, hotels, pubs and restaurants across the country. The Telegraph has more.
The company has axed Christmas crackers with silver fulminate strips – which have been used to give the snapping sound since as early as 1860 – and now says its crackers will have “the audible crack of cardboard” instead.
The new crackers come with a note that urges users to “make some noise” before informing them that “we have removed the snap from this cracker to ensure it is fully recyclable”.
The note inside says that the move is “part of our journey to make every Christmas a celebration of responsibility” and says on its e-commerce website, Alliance Online, that the eco-friendly crackers will reassure people they are “doing something right for the environment”.
Christopher Snowdon, an author and Head of Lifestyle and Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs, was served the crackless crackers at a recent lunch hosted by the Lords and Commons Cigar Club in the House of Lords.
He said the silver fulminate-free crackers were “rubbish” and felt like when “you pull a cracker and they don’t crack and you just think it’s broken”.
A House of Lords spokesman confirmed the recyclable crackers would be used at its banqueting events this Christmas and said they were a “small part” of its commitment to reduce waste.
Scrooge, it seems, is now green.
Worth reading in full.
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