Coles Supermarket Choses Bioplastic Meat Trays from Plantic

Coles is the first Australian supermarket to adopt the eco Plastic technology. Allister Watson, Coles General Manager Meat Delicatessen and Dairy, said the partnership was another example of Coles’ support for innovative Australian manufacturers.

8 Jun 2012 --- The Hon. Greg Combet, Minister for Industry and Innovation and Minister for Climate Change, has opened the new, expanded facility of Plantic Technologies Ltd, an international supplier of bioplastics, at its site in Altona, Melbourne – a move which is expected to quadruple the company’s capacity.

The new manufacturing facility will produce Plantic eco Plastic, which is an advanced, cost-competitive bioplastic with Ultra High Barrier properties. Plantic eco Plastic is designed to improve the carbon footprint of fresh food packaging. Made from a plant, it uses up to 80% certified renewable material.

Minister Combet noted the occasion as a milestone for green business innovation.

“Plantic Technologies was born out of a Government-funded research project in 2000 which invited the clean technology industry to collaboratively find a solution to alternative food packaging,” Minister Combet explained.

“The commercialisation of such research has lead to innovative companies like Plantic Technologies and demonstrates the Government’s continued support of clean technology innovation and the development of new industries in Australia,” he said.

Coles is the first Australian supermarket to adopt the eco Plastic technology. Allister Watson, Coles General Manager Meat Delicatessen and Dairy, said the partnership was another example of Coles’ support for innovative Australian manufacturers.

“We’re very pleased to be working with Plantic, and it’s gratifying to see our partnership support their expansion into export markets,” Mr Watson said.

“We’ve been using the Plantic eco Plastic trays on a number of lines across our pre-packed beef, veal, lamb and sausage products since late 2011. We expect that over 95 million Plantic eco Plastic trays will be bought by our customers in 2012.

“The Plantic eco Plastic tray is a quality product that has real business and environmental benefits, and Coles will continue to look at other opportunities to expand the use of the Plantic eco Plastic tray across our meat range,” Mr Watson said.

According to Brendan Morris, Chief Executive Officer of Plantic Technologies, the environmental impact of Coles switching to Plantic eco Plastic, once quantified, is significant.

“Our life cycle assessment shows that, over the course of 12 months, the impact of Coles adopting the Plantic eco Plastic trays will save over 13 million KwH of energy, the equivalent of powering over 2000 Australian homes. It will also cut greenhouse gas emissions by five thousand tonnes, which is equal to planting more than 750,000 trees,” he said.

Plantic eco Plastic has been designed to meet the growing world demand for a more sustainable approach to plastics technology, based on a high content of renewable material that will reduce carbon emissions and deliver exceptional performance characteristics. The benefits are compelling and Plantic eco Plastic is the first packaging product globally to contain up to 80% renewable content, using 25% less energy compared to conventional polymers, and delivering ultra high barrier performance.

Plantic eco Plastic requires no investment in new processing or packaging technology and a drop-in replacement for a range of traditional plastics used in ultra highbarrier packaging. Coles is one of the first customers to sign up for the revolutionary product, benefiting from the environmental qualities which include reduced carbon emissions and enhanced product freshness.

“This is a major milestone for our company. This facility will enable us to step up production significantly and meet the growing demand from our customers. In an increasingly carbon-conscious world, we are well positioned to meet a market need for a superior packaging offering that is cost-competitive and more environmentally friendly to produce” said Mr Morris.

“It has been an exceptional year for Plantic, and we look forward to further collaborations both domestically and internationally as we continue to raise awareness of the benefits of Plantic eco Plastic. Our new facilities will enable us to meet demand as we meet the growing requirements of our customers” he said.