Danish retailer Coop Danmark has announced it is phasing out metallic cans in favour of cardboard and paper brick packaging, in a move to further improve the sustainability of its products.
The brand says that it will phase out metallic cans from its own-brand products over the next 12 months in its Kvickly, SuperBrugsen, Dagli'brugsen, Facts and Irma banners. The majority of its products will have new, more sustainable packaging.
Environmental Impact
Speaking on the move, Coop's corporate social responsibility director, Signe D. Frese said, "With annual sales of more than 12 million cans, it will probably be the packaging shift in Danish grocery trade that has the greatest impact on the environment for many years."
Coop cites several reasons for the shift, such as easier-to-carry packaging and the elimination of bisphenols present in metal cans, which are suspected of being carcinogenic and may affect hormones.
While paper brick packaging is not yet recycled in Denmark, unlike Sweden or Germany, Coop says it would like to see such a system put in place in the country.
Coop's Latest Sustainability Effort
The move comes as the most recent effort of the retailer to improve its sustainability after rolling out reusable bags for 700,000 of its customers and topping sustainability rankings in a recent independent study.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Matthieu Chassain. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine
