Initially available to select European customers, the move will see a reduction of 70% of the amount of plastics used to package its meat products. The packaging, unveiled at Anuga in Cologne, includes recyclable card coupled with thin film of peel away plastic, with no impact on the shelf life of the product.
The packaging is being introduced on ABP’s Goodherdsmen organic meat products and will extend to other product ranges in the near future.
“We have placed a very strong emphasis on our sustainable strategy across all our supply chain processes including energy use, water consumption, renewable energy and packaging,” said John Purcell, managing director of Goodherdsmen, ABP’s organic division. “This very important work is ongoing and we are now pleased to announce the introduction of this new packaging for German customers which we hope to extend to other products shortly.”
As well as the reduction of 70% in plastic, the new packaging is 10 grams lighter than the plastic tray it will replace; the card used is sourced from PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) certified forests; the plastic film is easy to remove from card for recycling; the card is recyclable with paper and board; and the packaging has better presentation and is more attractive packaging.
ABP has also incorporated a euro hook hole into the card design, allowing retails to now ‘hang’ the packs in their retail fridges rather than the traditional shelving, allowing better circulation of chilled air, more contemporary merchandising techniques and better planogram design.
In Ireland, ABP became a founder member of Plastics Action Alliance, a collaboration of nine of Ireland’s leading agricultural processing and food businesses that have come together to make the plastic packaging in their respective supply chains more sustainable. The alliance includes market leaders from Ireland’s beef, poultry, pork, lamb, fruit, vegetables and packed salad sectors.
