In England, supermarket chain Iceland Foods has launched plastic-free packaging for its No Bull veggie burgers.
The product uses a cellulose “window” made from wood pulp that offers the same transparency and feel as plastic. Iceland Foods, which partnered with Graphic Packaging to create the packaging, aims to remove plastic from its branded products by 2023.
“The higher cost of cellulose material, compared to plastic, had priced it out of the packaging market in recent decades. As eco-conscious consumers place more pressure on brands and retailers to go plastic-free, we expect to see our innovative hybrid packs being adopted more widely in the U.K. as a viable alternative,” Mark Hodgson, key account manager at Graphic Packaging, tells Packaging Strategies.
Extensions to No Bull Quarter-Pound Veggie Burgers, Tofu Vegetable Burgers, Jalapeno Burgers, Asian Burgers and Mince, No Porky Sausages and No Chick Grills, are planned.
The wood pulp meets EN 13432 and ASTM D 6400 requirements for compostability. The trees are certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative and are sourced from North America.