“As a retailer, we want products to reach consumers in the highest possible quality, with a minimum of waste”, says Nathalie de Boer, Packaging Specialist at Albert Heijn. “This often means that you can’t do without packaging. But that doesn’t mean we take it lightly. Where less is an option, less it will be. Moreover, by 2025, all our packaging will be recyclable.”
Packaging plays an important role in the sustainability policy of Dutch retailer Albert Heijn. This goes hand in hand with ambitious goals. For example, the amount of packaging material for private labels must be reduced by 25% by 2025 compared to 2017. By then, all packaging must also be fully recyclable.
Less when possible
Albert Heijn is well on the way to achieving these goals. Since 2018, more than 7.2 million kg of packaging has been saved, this will even rise to 20 million kg by 2025. The focus is, among others, on fruit and vegetables. “Where no packaging is required, we do not use it. But even when packaging is needed, it can often be done with less. For example, the top lid of plastic containers can be replaced by an easily removable foil. In soft fruit alone, we managed to reduce the use of plastic by 300,000 kg without affecting the shelf life of the product”, says Nathalie de Boer.
A rational choice
Wherever packaging is needed, Albert Heijn carefully looks for the most suitable and sustainable solution. “The best packaging is the one with the least impact on the environment over its entire life cycle”, says Nathalie de Boer. “We take as many factors as possible into account: first of all, the packaging should protect the product and preserve it as long as possible. In addition, we also take other factors into account, such as transport and storage.”
Despite its negative image, plastic packaging regularly comes out as the best and most sustainable choice. “Plastics are excellent for preserving food products for longer, and can therefore significantly reduce food waste. But it is also a very light material, which avoids a lot of CO2 emissions during transport, especially over longer distances. That’s why, for example, we decided to stop packing our Spanish olive oil in a glass bottle and start using a transparent PET bottle instead.”
Packaging is a sensitive topic for customers. “We notice that there are a lot of misunderstandings. For example, plastic is not necessarily bad, it ensures a longer shelf life. Many people are not aware of this. We realise that, as a retailer, we need to communicate more about the choices we make. This can be done, for example, through messages on the packaging itself: ‘this packaging is now 20% lighter’, ‘now 100% recyclable’, ‘keeps the product fresh longer’, and so on.”
Focus on recyclability
In addition to reducing packaging, Albert Heijn is also focusing on recycling. “This works both ways: on the one hand, we ensure that our own packaging can be recycled more easily, and on the other, we start using more recycled materials ourselves”, explains Nathalie de Boer.
By 2025 Albert Heijn wants to have only fully recyclable packaging for its private labels. For example, all black and coloured plastic packaging for meat, fish, vegetables and fruit will be replaced by transparent PET packaging that can be more recyclable. “This sometimes causes tensions with the marketing aspect. Just think of the almost iconic blue mushroom trays that were recently replaced by transparent plastic ones. The blue colour made the mushrooms stand out better and increased the product’s recognisability. But our position is clear: when it is better for recycling, we just go transparent, full stop.”
“The same phenomenon is also seen when recycled material is used. It gives transparent packaging a more greyish appearance and therefore looks less nice. For this reason, we often work in steps: we gradually increase the amount of recycled material: for example, we start with 20%, then go to 30%, and so on. As a result, the customer hardly notices the evolution. Thus, we are already using up to 80% recycled material in our salad trays today, and 95% in our meat trays. Bottles for soft drinks and juices contain at least 50% r-PET.”
This works both ways: on the one hand, we ensure that our own packaging can be recycled more easily, and on the other, we start using more recycled materials ourselves.
Avoiding combinations
In order to increase the recyclability of packaging, we also avoid combined materials as much as possible. “For example, we removed the aluminium layer from the coffee packaging of our Perla house brand more than three years ago, so that the packaging can now be fully integrated into the recycling chain.” Not an easy exercise, as aluminium forms an ideal barrier against oxygen, light and water: crucial for the preservation of coffee. “Our supplier came up with a new solution that we tested extensively for shelf life. We even placed the packs on the window sill in full sunlight, just to be sure the product would still be good. The packaging now combines two types of plastic, but we are also reviewing that.”
The final stretch
“The last percentages of non-recyclable packaging will obviously be the most difficult”, says Nathalie de Boer. “That will be our main focus in the coming years. New technologies such as chemical recycling will certainly play an important role in this. It is also clear that there is a lot of movement in the market. Buyers and suppliers are well aware that things have to be improved and are coming up with new solutions themselves.”
Finally, Nathalie de Boer also emphasises the importance of thorough cooperation in the chain. “You can take well-intentioned initiatives as an individual company, but the question is whether they will lead to more recycling in the end. We therefore regularly consult recycling companies or organisations such as Fost Plus to gain insight into what is happening further down the chain, so that we can adjust our choices accordingly. This is the only way we can close the cycle as much as possible”, concludes Nathalie de Boer.