Ali Baba Pizza is the first chain in Canada to use what Fox News recently described as "the pizza box of the 21st century."

The GreenBox,is made from recycled cardboard produced in North American mills and tracked from collection to finished product. The top of the box breaks down into plates while the bottom folds into a convenient storage container for leftovers.

The ongoing battle between pizza chains has always been about the crust, toppings or how fast it can be delivered.

But a Victoria pizzeria hopes an eco-friendly spin on the ubiquitous pizza box will give it an added edge with green-conscious consumers.

Ali Baba Pizza is the first chain in Canada to use what Fox News recently described as "the pizza box of the 21st century."

The GreenBox, developed by New York-based ECOvention LLC, is made from recycled cardboard produced in North American mills and tracked from collection to finished product. The top of the box breaks down into plates while the bottom folds into a convenient storage container for leftovers.

The design eliminates the need for disposable plates as well as plastic wraps or foil for leftovers, and allows for easy disposal into standard Blue Box recycling bins.

Mark Murr, who started using the Green Box at five Ali Baba locations in Greater Victoria and an outlet at the Tsawwassen ferry terminal this week, said the new boxes cost him 45 cents each -- more than double what most pizza chains pay for boxes sourced in China and India.

"It's all about sustainability," Murr said yesterday. "It's a more expensive product using North American producers, but it keeps money in a more local economy.

"We create a lot of waste in our industry, so we feel we have a responsibility to do something about that. Our tag line is Saving the Planet One Pizza at a Time."

Murr signed a deal for the Green Box after seeing the product at a pizza producers convention in Las Vegas in March. Fox News ran a story on its national network and actor Ashton Kutcher gave the Green Box a big thumbs-up to his legions of Twitter followers. A video explaining Green Box has been seen almost 900,000 times at YouTube (tinyurl.com/ckbawe).

William Walsh, chief executive of ECOvention -- which produces green-friendly food packaging products -- said pizza chains and groceries in the United States had quickly adopted the new boxes.

He said he was thrilled to see Ali Baba become the first Canadian company to make the transition. "We are proud to be working with a company that shares our mission to promote innovative and responsible food packaging," said Walsh.
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