Organic grocery box delivery service Riverford will replace 1.25 million plastic bags each year with home compostable alternatives supplied by TIPA.
In its research, Riverford concluded that compostable packaging was the most effective packaging alternative to conventional plastic in terms of fresh food quality.
In an effort to limit carbon emissions, Riverford chose to connect TIPA with packaging converter Brayford to maintain its existing local supply chain. The reported success of this partnership has led to Riverford placing an additional order for over one million compostable bags for the year ahead.
Matthew Mountfield, senior buyer at Riverford, said: “Sustainability is a huge focus for our business and something that is incredibly important to our customers. In 2018, we conducted a survey and found that 82.5 percent of our customers already compost their food or garden waste. This encouraged us to seek out compostable alternatives to plastic to reduce the amount of packaging going to landfill.
Steve Woods, sales director at Brayford, added: “We are proud to play our part in helping Riverford supply its produce in eco-friendly packaging and have been impressed with how simple incorporating TIPA’s compostable film into our existing machinery has been.
“It was important to Riverford to keep its existing local supply chain, and with TIPA we have been able to achieve this, making our partnership a great success from the get-go.”
Gary Tee, sales director at TIPA, concluded: “The fresh produce industry needs pioneers like Riverford to offer sustainable packaging choices, including compostables, to give consumers the chance to cut down on plastic and food waste.
“We look forward to the year ahead as we continue to support Riverford in supplying its produce in sustainable packaging that doesn’t compromise on the quality its customers expect.”
This is not the first time that Riverford has explored the potential of home compostable solutions. In January this year, the company started using Parkside’s Park2Nature product – a TÜV-accredited compostable range of flexible packaging laminates made from resources such as ethically-sourced plant fibres.
