In Germany alone, we produce almost 19 million tonnes of packaging waste every year [1], a large part of which is caused by food consumption. A change in thinking is clearly needed.
In order to do our part to improve the circular economy and reduce our ecological footprint, we are working intensively to avoid packaging wherever possible and to make the packaging we use as sustainable as possible. While 30% of our products already do without any final packaging, it is unfortunately still necessary for other products – for reasons of quality and hygiene, but also for transparency. For them, the right packaging alternatives must be found which take into account the individual quality requirements of the products while being as biodegradable as possible. We have already been able to implement several such alternatives in recent years and would like to introduce some of them to you.
Bananas
The packaging of our bananas has undergone numerous changes over the years. In the 1990s, bananas were often still shrink-wrapped in film (so-called flowpacks). This was eventually followed by a gradual switch to more plastic-reduced tapes. These were further optimised by using paper instead of plastic for their production. Today, in most cases you will only find a single sticker on our bananas, which again significantly reduces the use of resources. The sticker is used to communicate important information such as the origin or certification of the bananas, enabling consumers to compare products more easily.
A lot has happened in the transport of bananas, too. Bananas are packed in boxes and stacked on pallets on their long journey from overseas to our customers. To ensure the stability of the pallets and prevent damage, the corners are reinforced with edge protectors. For a long time, these were made of hard polyethylene (HDPE). With the objective of saving on plastic, we are now gradually replacing the conventional edge protectors with cardboard alternatives.
Following this successful change for our banana transport, we are now in the process of switching the protectors for other types of fruit and vegetables as well.
Berries
For our blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, we were able to make an important improvement to the final packaging. Wherever possible, we have replaced the plastic lid with a plastic-coated seal (Topseal).
This reduces the amount of plastic used in the lid by 94 %. In addition, over 30 % of these trays are already made from recycled plastic (RPET). We will gradually increase this proportion in the coming years.
Citrus
Our citrus fruits such as clementines, mandarins, oranges, satsumas, and lemons are typically found in plastic nets on supermarket shelves. Here, too, we want to reduce the use of plastic as much as possible and are therefore increasingly using cellulose nets made from renewable raw materials.
The proportion of our citrus fruit sold in cellulose nets rose from 24 % in 2021 to 37 % in 2022, resulting in a significant amount of plastic saved.
One thing is clear: reducing packaging waste is a challenge that we all must face. There is still a long way to go, and we will continue to work hard to develop new sustainable packaging solutions for our products – for the health of our environment and our planet!
