Booker is making a significant packaging change to its catering-sized Farm Fresh Mushrooms, transitioning from plastic to cardboard trays. The phased transition aims to strengthen the UK’s largest wholesaler’s commitment to reducing plastic waste and improving the sustainability of its own operations.
For some catering customers, the switch to cardboard not only reduces plastic waste, but could also reduce the amount of waste collections needed. The new cardboard trays can be more easily flattened after use, taking up significantly less space in recycling bins compared to rigid plastic trays.
Switching to cardboard trays for catering customers is forecast to remove over 280 tonnes of plastic from Booker’s supply chain annually, as well as delivering numerous operational benefits – including easier handling and less transport packaging with the removal of all elastic bands from trays, a change that is forecast to save over 900,000 bands per year.
The new trays will be used throughout the supply chain process, from growers, to moving through Booker’s distribution network, and finally reaching caterers via four distribution centres across the UK.
Booker’s Head of Sustainability, Cath Marston said: “We’re always looking for ways to improve packaging for products across both the Retail and Catering areas of our business, and we’re thrilled to make this important shift for our catering-sized packs of mushrooms – part of our 3Rs strategy to Remove, Reduce or Recycle packaging wherever we can.
“We’re delighted to have been able to work in partnership with our valued suppliers to make this change, whilst continuing to deliver the high-quality mushrooms our catering customers expect and we hope to make similar changes across our retail sized products in the future.”
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