Westaways Introduces Palm Fibre Trays

Palm fibre is a by-product of palm oil and is normally fed to cattle. Baughan said he hoped Westaways would phase out plastic from its packaging within 18 months.

16/04/08 Devon sausage maker Westaways has introduced palm fibre trays across its entire range after sales rose by 60% in a test launch in the West Country.

Westaways director Charles Baughan said that after he came across one of the company's PET trays on a beach in Devon, he looked at the options available and decided that palm fibre had the best advantages to the consumer because it broke down quickly and was home compostable. He worked with Nicholas Packaging in the West Midlands to develop the palm fibre tray, which is awaiting home-composting accreditation.

Palm fibre is a by-product of palm oil and is normally fed to cattle. Baughan said he hoped Westaways would phase out plastic from its packaging within 18 months. Westaways launched the pack in March in approximately 200 independent convenience stores across the West Country, including Spar.

The company has now rolled the pack out to larger retailers, such as Tesco, Asda and Morrisons, and supplies about 1,000 stores in the West Country region.