Riverford Tipa Home Compostable Packaging-40-Edit

Organic box delivery specialist Riverfordwill replace1.25 million plastic bagseach yearwith home compostable alternatives.  

The partnership with packaging manufacturer Tipa isthe latest step inRiverford’sbidto supply all its fresh fruit and vegetables in compostable packagingwhere packaging is needed, the company said. It added that its research found compostable packaging was the most effective eco-friendly packaging alternative to conventional plastic for fresh food quality.

The move reflects a wider industry trend towards low-wastepackaging solutions. Growing market share for eco-friendly alternatives to conventional plastic, like compostable films, is projected to be a key contributor to the growth of the global flexible packaging market. The market is expected to increase from $160.8 billion to $200.5bn by 2025.

Sustainability has been at the core of Riverford’s approach since it was founded.To limit carbon emissions, Riverford chose to connect TIPA with packaging converterBrayfordto keep its existing local supply chain.

The success of the three-way partnership led to Riverford placing an additional order of over one million compostable bags for the year ahead.

Matthew Mountfield, senior buyerat Riverford, said:“Sustainability is a huge focusforour business, and something that is incredibly important to our customers. In 2018, weconducted a survey andfound that 82.5per centof our customersalreadycompost their food or garden waste. This encouraged us to seek outcompostable alternatives to plasticto reducethe amount ofpackaging going to landfill.

“Working withBrayfordand Tipa, we have foundaneco-friendlyalternativeto plasticthat doesnot affect the quality of our product and actually promoteslongevity, reducing food waste in the long term.We are proud to be replacing overonemillion plastic bags, andlookforward to the future as new sustainable technologies continue to be developed for the grocery industry.”

SteveWoods, sales directoratBrayford, added:“We are proud to play our part in helping Riverford supply its produce in eco-friendly packagingand have beenimpressedwith how simple incorporating Tipa's compostable film into our existing machinery has been.

“It was important toRiverford to keep its existing local supply chain, and with Tipa we have been able to achieve this,making our partnership a great success from the get-go.”

And Gary Tee, sales director at Tipa, said:“The fresh produce industry needs pioneers likeRiverford tooffer sustainable packaging choicesincludingcompostablesto give consumers the chance to cut down on plastic and food waste.

“Welook forward to the year ahead as we continue to support Riverfordin supplyingits produce in sustainable packagingthat doesn’t compromise on the quality its customers expect.”