In New Zealand, two bakeries have announced plans to eliminate plastic bread clips—the ubiquitous doohickeys used to better seal bread packaging and keep loaves fresh—and replace them with a cardboard alternative.
While bread clips are pretty small, the size of the bakeries making the switch adds up to a fairly significant figure in terms of overall plastic reduction. George Weston Foods will initially make the swap on some of its products and eliminate 18 million bread clips. Ultimately, the company will remove 75 million clips, accounting for over 26,000 kilograms of plastic. Goodman Fielder, another large food company operating in the region, has made a similar commitment.
Meanwhile, Kwik Lok Corp., a US-based company founded by the inventor of plastic bread clips, is working on biobased and fiber-based alternatives.