GREEN DIGEST

SUSTAINABILITY: FERRERO / BOOTS / ALDI / BIRD’S EYE

SUSTAINABILITY RISES UP THE AGENDA

SUSTAINABILITY CONTINUES TO BE AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT FOR SUPPLIERS WITH SEVERALMAJOR COMPANIES ANNOUNCING NEW INITIATIVES RECENTLY.

FERRERO

Ferrero has announced that it has become a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and will be taking part in the New Plastics Economy (NPEC) initiative as well as joining the 4evergreen alliance as part of its commitment to have 100% of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.

Ferrero joins a group of leading businesses from across the entire plastics value chain in NPEC, all committed to a common vision of a circular economy for plastic, in which it never becomes waste or pollution.

The 4evergreen alliance aims to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in a circular and sustainable economy that minimises climate and environmental impact.

BOOTS

Boots & No.7 have launched a new recycling initiative encouraging customers to bring back hard-to-recycle health, beauty and wellness empties.

Since its launch in September, the scheme has already seen 104,235 products deposited, representing over 1,150 kg of plastic. The initiative has seen over 30,000 customers signing up to take part in the scheme that allows customers to recycle their empty containers, even those from brands not stocked at Boots. Customers receive £5 worth of Boots Advantage Card Points when five products are deposited. The scheme is currently available in 50 stores across the UK.

ALDI

Aldi is rolling out cardboard packaging across its entire beef steak range in all 95 Scottish stores, saving approximately 80 tonnes of plastic a year in Scotland. The cardboard packaging is recyclable, once the protective film has been removed, and is sourced from sustainably-managed forests.

Last month, Aldi rolled out flow-wrap packaging across its entire Glen Lochy block cheddar range, reducing plastic waste by 50% to save an estimated 13 tonnes of plastic a year in Scotland. This follows the supermarket’s pledge to remove two billion single items of plastic by 2025, halving the volume used in that time.

BIRD’S EYE

Birds Eye is taking a step closer to achieving its sustainability targets by moving to recyclable packaging on its Natural Vegetable products. As part of a phased approach across December 2020 and the start of 2021, the update will remove 379 tonnes of plastic and will be a step towards ensuring all of the brand’s vegetable lines have recyclable packaging.

The update will see new recyclable materials and components replace existing packaging, across all Natural Veg products whilst also reducing excess packaging by reducing the size of the bags but keeping the same amount of vegetables. The recyclable packaging will launch into stores from mid-December.