London, 2017-Jul-05 — /EPR Retail News/ — Triangular sandwich wrappers in Waitrose will soon be easier to recycle – in a first for UK supermarkets.
The move is being achieved by making the cardboard sandwich packaging easy to separate from the plastic film, which isn’t recyclable.
The move is a step towards Waitrose’s new target of making all own-label packaging, across all food categories widely recyclable, reusable or home compostable by 2025, which the retailer is announcing today (3 July 2017).
While the cardboard element of sandwich packaging can easily be recycled, Waitrose discovered that the difficulty separating the cardboard from the see-through film part of the pack had made this a challenge for customers and processors in practice.
But now the simple step of making the film easily removable from the cardboard – via a peelable tab – means there is no reason why the cardboard can’t be recycled.
Waitrose is confident that the change – which will be introduced in August – will see more packaging from Britain’s favourite lunchtime snack recycled.
And even if customers throw the whole pack away, processors would now be able to separate the paper element from the film more easily.
Waitrose is the first supermarket to offer this environmental solution to customers who buy over 26 million sandwiches from its shops each year.
Karen Graley, Waitrose Packaging Manager, said ‘The change to our sandwich packaging may seem like a small one but it’s likely to make a big impact on the amount of packaging recycled.
‘We continue to work on a solution to the pack’s plastic film in the hope that, in the future, none of the sandwich pack will go to landfill.
‘Our ambition for 100 per cent of our own-label packaging being widely recyclable, reusable or home compostable by 2025 is set to make a tangible difference to the environment.’
Notes to Editors
Waitrose – winner of the Best Food and Grocery Retailer category at Verdict Customer Satisfaction Awards – currently has 354 shops in England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands, including 65 convenience branches, and another 27 shops at Welcome Break locations. Waitrose also exports its products to 58 countries worldwide and has eight shops which operate under licence in the Middle East.
Waitrose has worked with packaging manufacturer RAP and sandwich producers Melton Foods and Greencore on the new sandwich wrappers.
Enquiries
For more information, please contact:
Laura Blumenthal
Press Officer, Corporate, Waitrose
Telephone: 01344826774
Email: laura.blumenthal@waitrose.co.uk
Source: Waitrose