During the 2022 WorldStar Awards, Woolworths Group, a Grocery chain/Food brand based in Australia and New Zealand, won the silver award for their new way of packaging meat that allows for much more sustainability than has ever been possible. The secret is their new PaperSeal tray design, which utilizes an easy-peel film that can be removed from the top and bottom of the tray, cleaned, and then returned to any of their Woolworths locations for recycling.
The new pack aims to replace the non-recyclable laminated plastic tray or the even worse foam trays we are all accustomed to seeing in the grocery stores here in the United States. This is a huge upgrade for meat packaging in general, and I personally feel like this is the industry’s future. Far too much waste is created in meats production and packaging, and this solution seems like a no-brainer. The new package is 9.7 grams lighter and uses 75% less plastic than the previous pack.
Naturally, they have called out all of these critical updates directly on the package so that the consumers not only feel better about buying the product but they know exactly how to use it so that it doesn’t end up in a landfill. I commend Woolworths for taking this step and building a supporting system around it to help ensure its success. We can’t rely on the consumer to just make the right purchasing decisions, we need to back up the sustainable products we put on the store shelves with education and systems to help them follow through on the intended recycling process. When we start helping to reeducate and motivate the consumers to recycle properly, it will set off a domino effect in other markets. It will get people to actually start recycling like it matters.
If your brand is looking for ways to reduce the amount of packaging in your current design or a more sustainable option, please get in touch with us to begin a conversation. We love helping brands improve their packaging.
