UK supermarket launches 100% recyclable fruit punnet with nondetachable lid

25 Aug 2020 --- UK supermarket Asda has launched its first fully recyclable blueberry punnet and film lid, equating to an estimated 5.5 million recyclable packs annually. Asda also announced a trial on several other fresh punnets, including grapes and tomatoes, after a company survey found that 94 percent of customers said that they felt personally responsible for recycling. Earlier in the year, the retailer removed over 24.5 million plastic forks from salads and plastic from in-store printed media to tackle plastic pollution and launched a “market first” van fleet insulated with plastic bottles that save 300 kg on standard models.

The new punnets are designed so that customers cannot remove the film lid, ensuring the whole tray can be recycled together. The supermarket announced that the new design will be trialed across several other fresh produce lines to help make recycling easier for customers and save around 110 million lids per year.

In July, the Asda 1000 survey found that 94 percent of customers said that they felt personally responsible for recycling, indicating that sustainability remains top of customers’ minds. The Asda 1000 is a monthly survey of at least 1000 Asda customers that test how government policy affects shopping preferences, motivations, attitudes and behaviors.

The new punnets are designed so that customers cannot remove the film lid, ensuring the whole tray can be recycled together (Image credit: Asda).“We are continuing to work hard to look at innovative solutions to help our customers on the journey to use less and recycle more, we know it’s something they and our colleagues are really passionate about. This latest move to help make recycling easier for our customers is another important step on our journey as a retailer to make all our own brand packaging, whatever material, 100 percent recyclable by 2025,” says Fiona Dobson, Asda’s Own-Brand Packaging Development Manager.

Asda also switched its asparagus packaging out of non-recyclable trays to save 1.6 million plastic trays earlier in the summer and launched its first fully recyclable unit, which will display the reusable and washable fruit and vegetable bags in the produce department.

Ditching unrecyclable plastics
In June, Asda removed over 24.5 million plastic forks from salads, saving more than 41 tons of plastic annually. The move is part of Asda’s accelerated commitment to reduce its own-brand plastic packaging by 15 percent by 2021.

More recently, the retailer removed the plastic from freestanding display units and customer signage in stores across the country. Working in partnership with DS Smith, the company has also saved a reported eight tons of plastic by removing plastic mop trays from the bottom of its cardboard, freestanding units. The units are used for merchandising various clothing accessories and general merchandise products.Asda launched its first fully recyclable unit, which will display the reusable and washable fruit and vegetable bags (Image credit: Asda).

“We are constantly working on reevaluating where we can reduce the quantity of non-recyclable packaging in our entire supply chain, while continuing to meet resource efficiency and practicality requirements for our in-store colleagues,” explains Lisa Walker, Asda’s Packaging and Print Specialist.

“Reducing plastic and our impact on the environment is very important to our customers, and this project with DS Smith is testament to our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and removing unnecessary plastic from the planet.”

Last year, Asda stepped on its sustainability commitments, announcing that it would make its plastic packaging from 30 percent recycled content by the end of 2020, five years ahead of its original deadline.

On August 20, 2020, the UK government’s Plastics Tax consultation closed, with leading waste management authorities including Veolia, the Environmental Services Association and the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers voicing their support for the levy. The UK government proposed a £200 (US$263) per ton tax rate for plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content that will take effect from April 2022.Asda’s new vans are insulated using 5,500 recycled plastic water bottles, which has made them 300 kg lighter (Image credit: Asda).

Bottle-insulated delivery vans
In August, Asda announced “a market first” by launching a fleet of home delivery vans to drive down carbon emissions and reduce the number of miles driven each day. The new carbon fiber fleet has a 10 percent improvement in miles per gallon. With an increased capacity inside, the 25 vans can deliver to more customers, reducing miles on the road and cutting carbon emissions significantly.

Moreover, Asda’s new vans have been insulated using 5,500 recycled plastic water bottles, which has made them 300 kg lighter than the standard model.

The fleet launch represents the latest move in Asda’s commitment to making carbon reduction a priority across the business to tackle climate change. The retailer has reduced its energy usage by 20 percent in stores and uses the same amount of energy as it did in 2005, despite its estate being 200 percent bigger.

Asda has pledged to reduce its scope one and two emissions by 50 percent by 2025 and collaborate with suppliers to tackle climate change and food waste.

By Joshua Poole

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