Coop Sweden has announced plans to replace all plastic trays used for store-packed meat and fish with a transparent, recyclable alternative made with recycled plastic.
The initiative will help the retailer to eliminate the use of virgin plastics by 57 tonnes annually.
Coop Sweden stores use food trays in coloured styrofoam or PP plastic to store fish and meat products.
These materials promote high food hygiene but are made from new raw materials, contributing to the company's carbon footprint.
Another Step
Charlotta Szczepanowski, sustainability and quality manager for Coop Sweden, commented, "We are constantly looking for more ways to reduce plastic use and increase the recycling of materials within Coop.
"Now we take another step when we move on to more packaging of recycled plastic. We maintain the same high-quality requirements but for a lower climate footprint."
The new packaging is part of Coop's strategy to reduce climate emissions in its operations and made of recycled PET.
Coop Sweden plans to switch to 100% renewable or recycled raw materials by 2030 for all plastic packaging used in its private brand products and in-service packaging in stores.
Other Initiatives
The retailer has switched to renewable or recycled raw material for packaged meat and fish sold in its stores.
The packaging of juice and water bottles has switched to recycled plastic.
Coop Sweden has also introduced deposits on juice bottles and collaborated with the recycling app Bower, where customers can recycle their packaging to redeem the deposit.
In the spring of 2021, the retailer plans to phase out a large number of disposable plastic items, such as plates, cutlery and straws, and replace them with products made with renewable raw materials.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
