Dutch retailer Jumbo is set to introduce new packaging for minced meat, mushrooms and a variety of other products from 1 April.
Minced meat will be packed in a plastic bag instead of a tray, a so-called 'flow pack' that results in a 70% reduction in the plastic needed for a 500 gram package.
In time, the move will save around 300,000 kilograms of plastic per year, the retailer said.
Sustainable Packaging
White mushrooms under the Jumbo private label line will also receive more sustainable packaging this spring, with a 'top seal' replacing the plastic lid.
In addition, the blue tray will be replaced by a transparent version, which is easier to recycle.
Jumbo is also making a number of adjustments to the packaging for its vegetables, fruit, and potatoes, including the introduction of a paper banderole around bananas that ensures 78% less plastic per product and a saving of 19,000 kilograms of plastic on an annual basis.
Plastic packaging for the retailer's own-brand potatoes has been reduced by 11%, which is expected to result in annual savings of approximately 12,000 kilograms. This spring, Jumbo is switching completely to paper packaging for its organic potatoes.
'A Big Difference'
Olaf de Boer, director of commerce at Jumbo, said that the retailer “can make a big difference with these and other innovations in the field of packaging.
"It is increasingly possible to minimise the use of plastic and we contribute to that. This goes further than reducing the share of plastic in our own packaging and seeking cooperation for this. For example, we are participating in a pilot within the Plastic Pact to investigate how we can recycle food packaging even better,” he added.
The Plastic Pact pilot focuses specifically on the recycling of polypropylene plastic packaging, so that this type of plastic, e.g. PET bottles, can be used again for food packaging.
Jumbo's target is to use at least 20% less packaging material by 2025 compared to 2019. The Dutch retailer is following the recommendations and principles of organisations such as the Central Bureau for Food Trade (CBL), the Knowledge Institute for Sustainable Packaging (KIDV), and Plastic Pact to reach this target.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Conor Farrelly. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
