It’s July 1 and Foodstuffs New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores are now microbead free
• 12 months ahead of a proposed government ban
• Microbead Amnesty in all New World stores starts July 10
Auckland, New Zealand, 2017-Jul-03 — /EPR Retail News/ — Foodstuffs is doing their bit for the oceans and marine life by refusing to sell microbead products in any stores. The tiny beads of plastic used as an exfoliating agent in many skin cleansing products have been finding their way into drains and ultimately the marine environment where they can be consumed by marine animals.
It takes a collective approach to make such a change. “We’ve had a fantastic reaction from our suppliers and customers to the news that we’ve banned microbeads. It’s just one of the many things we’re doing to have a positive impact on our environment. That said, there’s more work to be done and we are working on new ways to reduce our impact across a range of areas,” says Steve Anderson, Managing Director, Foodstuffs New Zealand.
From 10 July customers will be able to take one microbead product in any condition into their local New World supermarket and swap it for a free full sized sample of microbead-free Essano Rosehip Gentle Facial Exfoliator. A schedule of dates and times for when the Amnesty is happening at each New World store is available online at newworld.co.nz.
Foodstuffs is pushing ahead on a number of environmental initiatives including waste minimisation at store, food donation, recyclable packaging, natural refrigeration and electric vehicle roll out. As a foundation partner of the Packaging Forum’s Soft Plastics Recycling Programme, Foodstuffs is diverting over five tonnes a week of packaging away from NZ landfills and into new products such as street furniture and decking.
The product collected in the Microbead Amnesty will be recycled and the surrendered microbeads will be turned into an exciting product – yet to be revealed, which will ensure that none of the beads end up in the ocean.
Contact:
Tel: +64 4 472 6435
Fax:+64 4 472 6412
Source: Foodstuffs NZ