DS Smith helps Waitrose & Partners launch UK’s first cardboard grape punnets
October 8, 2019The employee-owned supermarket, Waitrose & Partners, wanted to reduce the unnecessary use of plastic packaging to help meet a company-wide pledge on packaging sustainability. To provide an innovative and sustainable solution for its Duchy Organic grape punnet, the supermarket turned to fruit supplier Primafruit and leading packaging company DS Smith to begin a collaborative packaging design process.
A simple swap
By bringing the three leading companies together, Waitrose & Partners achieved a packaging solution that would not only reduce the use of plastic packaging but also optimise the pack line to ensure efficiencies were gained throughout the supply chain. In collaboration, Waitrose & Partners, DS Smith and Primafruit produced a unique cardboard punnet – a closed-loop solution consisting of recycled fibres which are fully recyclable at their end of life.
By simply exchanging the plastic punnet for a cardboard version, the sustainable credentials of the packaging were instantly increased – and predicted to save Waitrose & Partners 12 tonnes of plastic packaging a year.
David Ellerington, Head of Business Development, UK Packaging for DS Smith explains, “The increasing focus on sustainability and environmental impact means that consumers are very aware of the impact of their product’s packaging. By transitioning to cardboard, the entire supply chain benefits and consumers can more easily recycle the packaging.
Cardboard is a truly biodegradable and 100% recyclable packaging material – made from the fibres of recycled paper and cardboard. This not only avoids the felling of new trees, but also ensures that the packaging is easily recyclable at the kerbside for consumers at its end of life.”
