Page 28 - Packaging News Magazine Sep-Oct 2021

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FOOD & BEVERAGE PACKAGING | www.packagingnews.com.au | September-October 2021
Bread brands’ rise for sustainability
Bread brands have been rising to the challenge of a greener future, proudly showcasing their sustainability credentials with their latest initiatives. Jan Arreza reports.
AUSTRALIAN bread brand owners are stepping up their efforts to reduce plastic waste and achieve their corporate sustainability goals.
TIP TOP DITCHES PLASTIC TAGS
In an Australian-first innovation in 2020, veteran bread brand Tip Top switched polluting plastic tags for an eco-friendlier, 100 per cent recycled and recyclable cardboard bag tag in South Australia. The rollout has now reached New South Wales and Victoria, and overall will see one hundred million plastic bread tags eliminated from the annual waste streams in the three states.
The move will eventually elimi- nate 400 million pieces of single-use plastic every year as the tags roll out across the ANZ region.
“We want to be proactive, rather than wait for our customers to ask us to address our waste. When it comes to single-use plastics, we want to be part of the solution, not the problem,” says Graeme Cutler, director of sales and CSR lead at Tip Top ANZ.
“Developed after rigorous testing and learning, the sustainable bag tags promise no compromise on freshness and taste,” he says.
Tip Top is encouraging consumers to recycle their cardboard tags in kerbside recycling bins by tucking the tag securely inside other paper or cardboard products, such as an enve- lope or paper bag, giving them the best chance of being recycled into new product rather than being sent to landfill.
The rollout of the cardboard tags is just the first in a series of packaging
innovations set up by Tip Top, which also includes addressing recycling confusion by updating packaging with the Australasian Recycling Label.
HELGA’S PUTS RECYCLABLE MESSAGE ON-PACK
With a clear on-pack statement, Australian bread brand Helga’s is let- ting consumers know its plastic packaging for loaves, rolls and wraps are now 100 per cent recyclable through REDcycle drop-off points.
And to further advance its sus- tainable packaging drive, Helga’s will also intro-
duce 100 per cent recy-
clable cardboard bread tags across its range.
“Our focus on reducing the impact of packaging and plastic waste starts with design and innovation, including reducing our
bags’ plastic content by
25 per cent, and contrib-
uting to new products
being created from the recovered plastic,” says
Mick Anderson, head of sustainability for Goodman Fielder, which
owns the Helga’s brand.
“At Helga’s, our 100 per cent recyclable bags mean we’re reducing waste to landfill and contributing to new products being created from the recovered plas- tic. We want to educate and enable consumers on how they can
ABOVE: Wonder bread bags are now 100% recyclable, and contain 25% reduced plastic content.
BELOW: On pack message: Helga’s plastic packaging is now 100% recyclable through REDcycle.
participate in that process, helping to potentially recycle more than 62 million bags each year.”
WONDER JOINS RECYCLABLE
BAG & TAG MOVEMENT
Bread brand Wonder is boosting its sustainability credentials by
announcing on pack the 100 per cent recyclability (via REDcycle) and 25 per cent reduced plastic content of its
bread bags.
The move is the latest step by
Wonder to meet its sustainability goals, following the launch of its Wonder Recycling Rewards back in April, a recycling program for bread
bags in Aussie schools.
Through the program, over 1000
schools across the country collected bread bags for recycling, which in turn have been repurposed into playground equipment, diverting thousands of kilograms of plastic
from landfill.
“A big focus is on reducing the
impact of plastic on the environ- ment, so our recent initiatives will help significantly reduce plastic waste,” said Cheree Andrews, senior
marketing manager – Baking.
In the coming months, Wonder also has plans to introduce card-
board bread tags. ■