British frozen food supermarket chain Iceland announces the launch of 9 new product lines that it says are packaged plastic-free or with greatly reduced plastic content. The move is cleverly implemented, as there is plenty of scope for packaging innovation, especially with new products. It is also clear, especially with new products, how consistently retailers and brand owners are moving in the direction of sustainability and circular economy.
At the end of last year, Iceland Foods announced that it would become the first plastic-free supermarket in Great Britain. The company has now announced an interesting step in this direction with the launch of nine new product lines. All new products come in packaging that, according to the company, is completely plastic-free or has a greatly reduced plastic content. In this way, the company wants to save a total of 36.6 tonnes of plastic.
New packaging solutions for…
The new packaging solutions include
- Cartons for frozen vegetables and herbs such as garlic, coriander, ginger and chilli
- Paper laminate bags for the 25-count large packs for Chicken Dippers and Chicken Popsters. According to Iceland, this packaging solution is a first for the market segment.
- Coated and apparently plastic-free paper bags for frozen Easy Peel Wild Red Shrimps
- Paper cups for products such as Iceland’s Soured Cream & Chive Dip and Sweet Chilli Houmous.
Pioneering new products
Changing the packaging of already established products is often not an easy task. Consumer acceptance and habits are too entrenched. With new products, however, experience shows that the inhibition threshold is much lower. Iceland is obviously aware of this and was one reason for the clever move.
Pointing the way to a circular economy
The packaging of new products is also a meaningful signpost. It is precisely here that it becomes apparent how consequently retailers and brand owners want to go their way towards sustainability and the circular economy. Because let’s not fool ourselves: There is still a huge backlog.