Cookware brands are acquiring customers with campaigns about quitting microplastics
Cookware startups are finding that more customers are coming to them in search of products that are free of microplastics and non-toxic coatings, and are adjusting their ad campaigns and social media content accordingly.
Caraway this month launched a multi-channel “Quit Microplasics” campaign to capitalize on the growing interest and concerns from consumers about what’s in the products that touch their food. Ad copy explains how plastic products can shed into food and includes citations to studies about microplastics winding up in human tissue. Other, more simple graphics name the ingredients, promising “no forever chemicals,” and encourage customers to “ditch plastic.” The campaign, which spans digitial ads, influencers, email and organic social, pushes many items but focuses on some of Caraway’s newer launches in food storage, prep ware and utensils.
The campaign hits while the category as a whole is seeing increased interest. Google Trends data for the past year shows the search terms “nontoxic cookware” and “best nontoxic cookware” peaked in late November, coinciding with Black Friday Cyber Monday sales. “Cuisinart stainless steel cookware” saw some of its highest search terms ever. The search query “carbon steel cookware,” a lighter alternative to cast iron, was up 350% in the same time frame. And cookware brands are trying to harness this consumer interest.
So far, orders for items featured in the campaign are up 107% compared to the same time last year. Prepware has specifically seen a 125% revenue increase YoY, with cutting boards and utensils becoming a top five product driving acquisition and repeat purchases.
Caraway, as a whole, has long embraced the idea of nontoxic cookware; the brand’s hero product is a line of ceramic-coated pots and pans. But now, the brand is running its “Quit Microplastics” campaign to zero in on consumer interest in that idea in particular.
“Consumers for probably the past decade have been focused on the food that they’re eating, shifting to organic, shifting to grass-fed and cleaning up what they’re putting in their bodies. But now they’re realizing that what they’re cooking off of, storing their products in and cutting their products with actually shed toxic materials into the food,” Caraway founder Jordan Nathan said. “We’re excited to see this consumer shift, and we want to lean into being the brand and the authority for safe materials and also educating consumers on what is and isn’t safe.”
Caraway is one of many companies benefiting from changing consumer attitudes around what’s in their kitchen. The topic made headlines in the fall of 2024 due to a widely reported study that black plastic kitchen utensils may include flame retardants that can pose health risks. Though the authors eventually corrected flawed math regarding how much of the potentially toxic chemicals could be ingested, the group Toxic-Free Future stood by its conclusion that flame retardants are an unnecessary hazard.
The conversation led to a boost in traffic for companies that sell nontoxic cookware and utensils as consumer shelved their black plastic spoons and spatulas in response. “The moment [the black plastics] article came out, we saw a huge spike in utensil sales, and it still hasn’t slowed down,” Nathan said.
The “Quit Microplastics” campaign aims to capitalize on this new interest with a multi-channel campaign. While Caraway has always had a strong bench of influencer marketing, this is the first time it’s also partnering with doctors, nutritionists, health coaches and scientists in ads to boost credibility and trust around what it means to be a non-toxic brand. It leans heavily into visuals, putting plastic containers side-by-side with Caraway’s wood and metal options.
Jake Kalick, president and co-founder of the Austin-based cookware company Made In, said customers have traditionally wanted nonstick pans because they seem to offer convenience. But they’re moving away from them due to concerns about toxicity, leading to increased interest in some of Made in’s most popular items, like stainless or carbon steel pans. Neither have nonstick coatings, a key driver of concerns around microplastics due to the chemicals used in the coatings. Such products come with a learning curve, which Made In aims to supplement with video content and other education about how to use the pans properly.
“People may come to our brand because they’re looking for uncoated cookware, but they also become better cooks in the process. The more people talk about what’s going into their homes, the more we see a bump in our brand — where clean cooking, transparency and raw materials matter,” he said.
Made In’s marketing tends to focus on the benefits of the materials rather than the ingredients, with ads and organic social posts showing how uncoated pans are “workhorses” of commercial kitchens and how they should be used. But one of its most recent launches has leaned into the nontoxic marketing trend. The CeramiClad line that debuted in August 2024 is billed as a nonstick ceramic “free from harmful chemicals for the ultimate clean-eating, even-heating pan.”
Kalick said that line was intentionally crafted because there was “a huge push for PFAS-free nonstick coatings,” and ceramic is naturally PFAS-free. In marketing the CeramiClad line, Made In has leaned into how the coating is made without PFAS, PFOA PTFE and other potentially concerning chemicals. The products are also made in Wisconsin, in recognition of a broader consumer desire to know where products come from, Kalick said.
“They want transparency about what’s going into their products,” he said.
Made In’s products, though, are more expensive than other options out there. One current sale advertises $349 for a set of three CeramiClad frying pans compared to $149 for a Teflon-coated set from All-Clad. But the company has justified that by emphasizing how much longer they may last than cheaper alternatives. People are also willing to pay more for higher-quality products, Kalick said.
“There’s a real health and safety component to knowing we are sourcing the right raw materials. It’s similar to the broader food conversation — people are willing to pay a bit of a premium for the peace of mind that comes with knowing what’s going into their pans and trusting that brands are taking it seriously,” Kalick said.
We want to hear from you. Take this quick five-minute survey to help Modern Retail learn how to make our products even better and you’ll be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card.