The Compleat Food Group has taken a significant step towards reducing its environmental footprint by eliminating plastic trays from its high-volume pork pie packaging. This innovative move is expected to cut plastic consumption by an impressive 110 tonnes annually and reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 430 tonnes.
Key Takeaways
- Eliminates 75% of plastic from high-volume pork pie packs.
- Expected to save 110 tonnes of plastic and 430 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually.
- Requires significant investment in automation to maintain packaging speed and efficiency.
- Applies to both branded and own-label pork pie products.
- Aligns with the company’s commitment to WRAP’s UK Plastics Pact.
Sustainability Drive
The initiative, which spans both branded and own-label pork pie products across brands like Pork Farms, Wall’s Pastry, and Wrights, is a testament to the company’s commitment to sustainability. With an estimated annual output of 200 million pork pies, the removal of trays represents a substantial reduction in single-use plastic. This change is being rolled out from summer 2024.
Overcoming Challenges
Transitioning to trayless packaging presented a significant challenge, particularly concerning the speed and efficiency of the automated packaging process. Previously, the automation required a pause between each set of four to six pies. However, a substantial investment in advanced automation equipment at their Tottle site has enabled the company to overcome these hurdles. Christina Chow, group packaging technologist, highlighted the collaborative effort with engineering teams and equipment suppliers to ensure the new process maintains efficiency without compromising food quality or safety.
Broader ESG Goals
David Moore, Head of ESG at The Compleat Food Group, emphasized that this move is a prime example of how innovation and investment can drive meaningful sustainability improvements. "This marks a huge step forward in our efforts to reduce plastic packaging across our portfolio, supporting our wider purpose to make food to feel good, taste good and do good," he stated.
The company is a signatory of WRAP’s UK Plastics Pact and uses over 4,000 tonnes of plastic annually. Their broader ESG strategy includes exploring new packaging solutions, trialing recyclable alternatives, and embedding sustainability across all operations. Recent successes include replacing rPET plastic trays with recyclable paper-based board in their Squeaky Bean® range, cutting plastic use by 82% for that specific line.
Industry Context
This move by Compleat Food Group follows similar industry trends. Sainsbury’s removed single-use plastic trays from its whole chicken range in April 2023, aiming to save 140 tonnes of waste. Aldi also announced a ‘trayless’ approach for its seasonal Mini Pork Pie Selection leading up to Christmas 2024, contributing to its goal of eliminating 127 tonnes of plastic packaging annually. However, the article also notes instances where plastic removal has faced consumer backlash, such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s removal of rigid lids from houmous pots, which led to complaints about resealability and spoilage.
Sources
- Compleat Food Group launches trayless pork pie packaging to cut plastic waste, Packaging Europe.
- The Compleat Food Group removes over 100 tonnes of plastic with trayless pork pie packaging innovation, The Manufacturer.
- Trayless is Waste-less for Pork Pies · Compleat Food Group, Compleat Food Group.