Waitrose & Partners launches its Italian ready meal range in the new fiber-based tray suited for both microwave and regular ovens. The new trays, called Fresh, are manufactured by the global food packaging specialist Huhtamaki, packed at Saladworks and the fiber used as the base material comes from the Swedish forest company Södra. The trays can be recycled, and they are also certified for home composting.
"We have made a commitment to move out of black plastic by the end of 2019", says Nikki Grainge, Packaging Development Manager from Waitrose & Partners in the UK. "We have been testing the new trays since May 2018 and have received very positive feedback from our customers", Grainge continues. "Now, with the current launch on Italian range moving to the new tray, we'll be able to move nearly 9 million meals out of black plastic."
Fresh trays are made from natural materials and e.g. the wood fiber comes from certified, sustainable Nordic forests. This means that per every tree cut down, three more trees are planted.
"The project started already in 2016 with the aim to find alternative food packaging for trays made from black plastic, most often CPET. The reason to avoid this material is not only its fossil origin but also because it is problematic to recycle due to the detection systems used in end-of-life material separation", says Steve Davey, Project Manager from Huhtamaki.
