Printweek’s Post

In an industry where the reduction of single-use plastics is progressively becoming a focal point, Aldi, in collaboration with the UK Refill Coalition, is piloting an in-store and online refill system for dry goods. This initiative, set to be implemented in Aldi’s Solihull store and through Ocado Retail’s online operations, aligns with the industry trend towards material-saving strategies. The potential success of the pilot could influence the future trajectory of packaging distribution towards reuse and refill in retail. In any case it is highlighting the significance of practical, consumer-centric approaches in reducing packaging waste.  https://lnkd.in/dpFSV9vW

Coca Cola strips the labels from its Sprite on-the-go bottles in the company’s first U.K. trial of label-less packaging. 🏷️ Instead of a label, the bottle will be decorated with an embossed logo on the front of the pack with laser-engraved product and nutritional information on the back. According to The Coca-Cola Company, while the existing labels are fully recyclable, removing them simplifies the recycling process. 🗣 “We want to help our customers minimise the environmental impact of the products they buy, including removing plastic and packaging when possible,” says Tesco Head of Packaging and Food Waste Strategy James Bull. “This trial of label-less packaging by Sprite is a great example of how brands are innovating to provide those solutions.” The online buzz surrounding this decision demonstrates that consumers are increasingly eager to support and share sustainable practices by brands. Shoppers are being invited to try out the new limited design, which will be sold at eight Tesco Express Stores in Brighton and Hove, Bristol, London, and Manchester between January and March 2024. #productdesign #sustainability #shoppermarketing #retailinnovation #marketing

📢 Exciting news! Aldi is shaking things up by changing the way it sells fruit in stores across the UK to reduce waste. Check out the latest updates on this sustainable move by Aldi in the article from GB News. Let's all support and promote these positive changes for a greener and more sustainable future. ♻️🍎🛒 #Aldi #sustainability #UKretail #GBNews https://ift.tt/ULx4sCX

Have you seen these? Aldi UK’s new, lightweight bottles are made from recycled cardboard and shatterproof plastic, are easy to recycle and have a carbon footprint six times lower than traditional glass bottles. Three main advantages to Aldi’s wine strategy: 1.Saving money and cutting their carbon footprint 2.Tapping into the growing eco-friendly shopping trends 3.It’s excellent PR We’ve worked on similar campaigns for long-term clients like KTC and Axiom, turning their sustainability products into news stories that capture the imagination. Get in touch to find out how we can do the same for you. Cheers! #sustainability #digitalmarketing #blog

Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s has removed plastic trays from its ‘by Sainsbury’s’ steak range, replacing them with a cardboard alternative. The move is claimed to reduce plastic per tray by 70% and save 249 tonnes of plastic each year. The new trays have launched across 10 products in the range and are available in all stores. Claire Hughes, director of product and innovation at Sainsbury’s, said: “As part of our Plan for Better commitments, we are trying to #reduce #plasticpackaging across our own brand ranges, as we know that #reducing #plastic is important to our customers but also on our environmental impact. It’s why we are always looking at ways to #innovate our #packaging and #reduce or #replace #plastic wherever we can, as quickly as we can. “We’re pleased to save another 10 million pieces of #plastic a year by swapping our by Sainsbury’s steak trays to #cardboard following the changes we have already made on So Organic and Taste the Difference #packaging . While we are making good progress, we know there is more to do and we are committed to making bold changes that help us achieve our #plasticreduction targets.” Other #plasticreduction initiatives from Sainsbury’s included the removal of #plasticbags from its banana range and the removal of trays on whole chickens. Meanwhile, the retailer posted its trading update for the first quarter. Like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, were up 9.8% with grocery performing the strongest, up 11%. Simon Roberts, chief executive of J Sainsbury, said: “We are putting all of our energy and focus into battling inflation so that customers get the very best prices when they shop with us, particularly now as household budgets are under more pressure than ever. Food inflation is starting to fall and we are fully committed to passing on savings to our customers. https://lnkd.in/eRvnxQiG

ALDI USA is continuing to take strides in sustainability, making “thousands of small, intentional operational decisions every day that have a big impact on keeping our prices and our environmental footprint low.” Such decisions include switching to electronic shelf labels, reducing paper waste while optimizing labor; keeping store layouts smaller to keep operational costs low; offering a more limited assortment of products that are more locally sourced, cutting down on transportation resources; and educating consumers with their How2Recycle logo, which provides simple instructions on how to best recycle the packaging of their products. ALDI is also part of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition and became a founding activator of the U.S. Plastics Pact about 4 years ago. They’ve made changes in their packaging, streamlining designs across products such as removing clear plastic windows from pasta boxes, saving nearly 50 tons of plastic each year. Today, more than 75% of ALDI-exclusive packaging components are now reusable, recyclable or compostable. https://lnkd.in/gV8fJGEy #grocerystore #foodretail #energyefficiency #supermarkets

Bad news for #sustainability: Asda is scraping its #refill store trial, whose pilot was running in #leeds since 2020. This follows Tesco wounding up its trial with reusable packaging company Loop in 2022. The economics of the concept were found to be “too challenging”,  and despite attempts to increase marketing of the proposition, “uptake remained low”. They quote: 💸 Cost Challenges: Despite efforts to keep refillable products cheaper than packaged alternatives, the economic model proved unsustainable. The cost barrier hindered customer engagement and the ability to scale the initiative. 🛒 Convenience and Cleanliness Concerns: Customers faced difficulties with the convenience of using refill stations and had concerns about the cleanliness of the process, which affected their willingness to participate. 📉 Perceived Product Quality: despite being brand names (PG Tips, Vimto, Kellogg’s, Radox and Persil) the refillable products were perceived as being of lower quality compared to packaged ones. ⚙️ Operational and Commercial Viability: Asda encountered significant operational issues and commercial challenges, making it difficult to deploy the refillable model across more stores. 🌟🌱Aldi UK and Ocado Retail are still trialling refill in-store and consumer returnables online, as part of the #RefillCoalition , run by GoUnpackaged Now, this asks serious questions about what can be done to go beyond single-use packaging. Global Food and Environment Institute, University of Leeds

Really interesting from Able & Cole here designing refill into milk bottles. We hope consumers buy into this as it could lead the way for the industry. Also good to see this move as understanding the right material for the right purpose philosophy. Designing sustainable systems can prove sustainability is not a singular material problem #sustainablepackaging

We’ve finally cracked refillable milk bottles. And we want to tell you how. After 3 years. 7 teams of experts. And 3 failed experiments. We’ve done it. Thanks to plastic. Surprised? So were we. We’ve been saying no to pointless plastic since 1988. But by switching to our Club Zero Milk Refillable plastic bottles, our new innovation could save the UK 300,000 tonnes of carbon a year.* But only if all of our industry makes the switch. We’ve got years of learnings to share. And experts excited to tell you about it. All you have to do is get in touch. We’re ready when you are. Tesco Waitrose & Partners Asda Aldi UK Sainsbury's Lidl GB Marks and Spencer Ocado Retail Ltd Morrisons *Find out more and get in touch: https://bit.ly/3ZWgsVx Difficult tastes better. #ClubZero #Sustainability #Packaging #ZeroWaste #Plastic

From FMCG packaging to luxury retail packaging, supporting YOUR sustainability journey is OUR passion! 💚 🌿 This week Sainsbury's made a remarkable move by switching its own-brand mushroom punnets from plastic to cardboard. 💪 This eco-friendly switch is set to save over 775 tonnes of plastic annually... that's as heavy as 43 full London double-decker buses. 🤯🌍♻️ And yes, we played a role in this historic plastics removal for Sainsbury's (pat on the back for us! 😉). But, what if we could extend this positive change to other produce lines? 💭 💡 Imagine swapping plastic for cardboard in other own-label fruit and vegetable punnets, making recycling at home a breeze for the consumer. We’ve come up with a solution that we think is really going to change the game. 👇👇 Drumroll, please! 🥁 In the next couple of weeks, we'll be unveiling the Stackpack by Alexir - a cutting-edge cartonboard solution for fresh produce. 🌱📦 We’re making strides towards a greener, more sustainable future. I’m so excited to finally share this with you all. 🎉 Stay tuned for more updates! #Sustainability #Packaging #UKManufacturing