By purchasing an expected 121 million recyclable meat and poultry trays in 2018 from renowned Australian manufacturer Plantic Technologies, the national retailer will become the first supermarket in Australia to transition to Plantic’s new packaging made from 100% recycled plastics (plastic bottles) and renewable plant materials (corn).

To close off Plastic Free July 2018, Coles will first use the packaging for its meat and chicken products, with expansion across the whole category.

Coles Director of Fresh, Alex Freudmann, said Coles was pleased to partner with Plantic Technologies, which is a leading innovator in renewable plant-based barrier materials.

“This is an important new step in our goal to become more sustainable. For four years, our Coles Brand beef, lamb and pork mince has been packaged in recyclable trays sourced from Plantic. 

“We now want to take the next step by transitioning a wider range of our fresh meat and poultry trays to Plantic’s new packaging so that it is not just recyclable but also made from recycled plastics and renewable plant materials including corn,” he said.

Plantic Technologies CEO Brendan Morris said the company saw the partnership with Coles as a defining opportunity to strengthen the local recycling industry.

“The problem in Australia is that there hasn’t been lot of processing of kerbside recycling done on-shore. Instead we’ve been sending it to China. As a result, there has been little investment to reprocess the waste within Australia and there’s not enough capacity here.

“At the same time, Australia is importing plastic into the country that can’t be recycled. These two factors combined means the waste is just piling up,” Mr Morris said.

Plantic Technologies Limited is a world leading innovator in bioplastics, with a track record of science and industry awards, an international network of corporate customers and distributors, and a growing list of premium quality multinational customers.

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