Finnish retailer K Group has announced that it is introducing new wood fibre-based boxes for fish, which will replace the use of plastic packaging in its Kesko grocery stores.
The EcoFishBox, produced by Finnish packaging company Stora Enso, has been tested in a number of K-Food stores in the past year, instead of the styrofoam (EPS) packaging that is commonly used to transport fresh fish.
The company says that the corrugated boxes will lead to a 'significant reduction' in the grocery trade's consumption of plastic.
“During the year, we experimented with wood fibre-based fish boxes in a few K-food stores," said Timo Jäske, sustainability manager for Kesko’s grocery trade.
"In terms of usability and logistics, the product did not depart from the EPS approach.”
Sustainability
K Group says that the main function of food packaging is to protect the product and minimise food loss and waste, however, packaging made from non-renewable material creates major waste issues.
The new EcoFishBox is made from sustainable raw materials, while the corrugated container board is completely recyclable.
The retailer adds that carbon dioxide emissions will decline by at least 30% throughout the value chain when packaging material changes from EPS to corrugated board.
“At K Group we are committed to reducing the use of plastic and, by setting an example, we also want to encourage our customers to do the same, hopefully inspiring them to choose, for instance, paper bags for their shopping," added Jäske.
"In the future, the use of renewable wood-based materials rather than plastics can be used in a variety of applications within the grocery trade."
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
