The world’s first compostable container for ready meals

Sustainability forces us to evolve and we must also see it as innovation in the field of food.

Last June a challenge was launched: could you last a week without consuming plastic? It is more than a challenge that goes viral on social networks without much benefit: it is a reflection of how young people are concerned about the planet and are looking for ways to make our lifestyle, sometimes so harmful to the environment, change.

And these changes in society have their echo in companies, which seek to improve their image in front of consumers who are increasingly aware that we cannot continue generating garbage.

The materials that make it possible to innovate in the field of packaging

One company that took it seriously was the UK chain, Waitrose & Partners,

It recently announced that it will launch “The world’s first compostable container for homemade meals” in their stores. According to a press release, the new fiber-based containers will replace the hard-to-recycle black plastic trays that were used until now.

Waitrose & Partners has worked with its suppliers, Huhtamaki and Saladworks, to use the latest technology to ensure that trays can be heated in the oven and in the microwave, and cool to the touch after cooking.

The fiber-based packaging is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, creates a 50% savings in CO2 emissions, and can also be recycled.

The new fiber-based containers will hit UK stores on May 29 with all Waitrose & Partners Italian food products.

The grocery store’s goal is to remove hard-to-recycle black plastic trays from all packaging in the house by the end of 2019.

The regulation on plastic packaging, the key

The efforts appear to be on par with the EU’s plans to ban single-use plastics by 2021 (Brexit may or may not affect the status of the ban in the UK), and more generally with efforts across the world to reduce our staggering amount of plastic. Some estimates say that if we continue to generate plastic waste at our current rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

Earlier this year, Waitrose & Partner removed the black plastic trays from all fresh meat, fish and poultry packaging.

Meanwhile, ditching all the plastic trays is the latest in a long line of moves Waitrose & Partners has outlined to make the company a more sustainable food chain overall.

The company says that 70 percent of private label packaging is currently recyclable, and 100 percent will be by 2023.

Additionally, the company plans to test compostable packaging in stores and ditch single-use plastic bags.