SuperValu continues to help shoppers shop more sustainably as more product lines move to compostable and recyclable packaging.
With potato season underway, SuperValu has announced that its packaging is now 100 per cent recyclable and compostable across six lines of own brand potatoes.
SuperValu customers will find in-season Irish New Season Roosters and Kerr Pinks in store in paper potato bags that can be disposed of in either the green or brown bins found in most homes and businesses.
Commitment
The company, which serves over 2.6 million customers every week and has 223 stores nationwide, has also removed plastic netting from bags and replaced it with cotton netting to ensure 100 per cent of packaging can be recycled or composted. This move will remove a massive 380kg of plastic from circulation every year.
Every year, over 13,500 tonnes of potatoes are sold in SuperValu across Ireland, and this is another significant move in the supermarket’s commitment to making 100pc of SuperValu own-brand, fresh produce and in-store packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.
“Removing unnecessary plastic from our own-brand packaging is a priority for us”
This year alone SuperValu have moved over 26 lines of produce to recyclable or compostable packaging and products that don’t require packaging are now sold loose.
SuperValu have been implementing these changes since 2018 and to date, five tonnes of plastic, that would have gone to landfill, has been removed from circulation.
“At SuperValu we’re committed to reducing our impact on the environment,” said Ray Kelly, interim managing director at SuperValu.
“Removing unnecessary plastic from our own-brand packaging is a priority for us and by 2025, 100pc of SuperValu own-brand, fresh produce and in-store packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable.
The move to compostable and recyclable packaging on six lines of potatoes is another significant step towards that goal. So far, these changes have stopped 380Kg of plastic going to the landfill annually, a positive move that will impact communities around Ireland.”
In 2019, more than 80 tonnes of black unrecyclable plastic was removed from produce packaging by moving to loose produce, cardboard or recyclable plastic.
“By 2025, 100pc of SuperValu own-brand, fresh produce and in-store packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable”
SuperValu is continuously making small changes to packaging in order to give customers the chance to shop more sustainably and in turn help SuperValu build more sustainable communities.
SuperValu is also committed to reducing its carbon footprint in Ireland by 70 per cent by 2025. In addition to moving to sustainable packaging, it is committed to operating all facilities with 100pc green electricity and to sending no recoverable waste to landfill. Any food surplus in stores is sent to re-distribution charities so food waste is minimised as well as helping to alleviate food poverty.
By Stephen Larkin
Published: 1 October, 2020
