Rewe Group discount banner Penny has announced that it will convert its frozen food bags to a more eco-friendly and recyclable alternative later this year.
The German discounter said that it sells around two million frozen-food bags a year. It will now be using 'Blue Angel' bags, which consist of 80% recycled material, and do not need an insulating aluminium layer. The bags will cost €0.49, unchanged from the old frozen bags.
The group said that the amount of saved plastic will be enough to cover 120 football fields.
"Costly and complex" Aluminium Interlayer
Stefan Magel, Divisional Board member, said, "By switching to the new frozen food bags with at least 80% recycled content, we're replacing a lot of fresh material that would be enough to cover 120 football pitches a year.
“The costly and complex production of the aluminium interlayer for these bags is over. As an industry leader, we show that we not only talk about sustainability, but we live it.
"We are gradually selling off the remaining quantities of the old frozen food bags, as it would be ecologically nonsensical to destroy them. In the second half of the year, all 2,200 Penny stores will be using the new frozen-food bag."
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
