Countdown removes plastic from its own products, bans plastic straws

Friday, 1 June 2018

The plastic straws ban would remove 11.6 million plastic straws a year from landfill, Spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said.

Countdown supermarkets will remove plastic packaging from hundreds of its in-house products within seven years.

The company, along with its other grocery store brands Fresh Choice and SuperValue, plans to replace plastic packaging with reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.

The brands that will carry new packaging include Macro, Essentials, Countdown, Free From, and The Odd Bunch.

In addition, Countdown will stop selling plastic straws from October 1. Paper straws will be the only alternative.

*** Countdown chooses 10 supermarkets to go plastic bag free, rest to follow

Countdown will replace plastic packaging of its own branded products with reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.

* Foodstuffs: Kiwis aren't quite ready to go plastic bag free**

Countdown spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said the move was part of the company's sustainability goal of making 20 new commitments by 2020.

'As part of these commitments, we are actively working to reduce the use of plastic across our entire business starting with single-use plastic bags at checkout, [but] we know we have a lot more to do.'

Last year, Countdown set a target to make its own brand packaging more recyclable, she said.

A dead turtle is surrounded by plastic, including a plastic straw.

The plastic straws ban would remove 11.6 million plastic straws a year from landfill, Hannifin said.

'Seeing images of turtles with straws coming out of their nostrils is confronting, and although straws account for a small part of marine pollution, they cause significant harm.'

Plastic straws were 'almost impossible' to recycle, because of their size and lightness, she said.

'They also hold no value post-use, so are not attractive to those companies who are purchasing and re-using used plastic.'

Countdown was the first New Zealand company to announce it would phase out single-use plastic bags at the checkout and online by the end of 2018.

A number of other companies, including hardware stores and clothing brands, have since followed suit.

A Countdown spokeswoman said it was currently trialling some alternatives for online shopping 'as we know our online shoppers want to get rid of bags'.

Last week, co-owner of Commonsense Organics Marion Wood said she would make her six stores in Wellington and Auckland plastic free tomorrow – from bags to packaging – if she could.

'But, at the moment, it's just not possible.'

Countdown will no longer stock plastic straws on its shelves. Paper straws, like the ones pictured, will be the only option offered.

The most difficult part was finding alternatives for packaging, as there were food safety issues to consider, Wood said.

Marketing experts have said banning plastic, including plastic bags, was more about driving profits than saving the planet.

However, Hannifin said the comments were 'unfair'.

'We are not out to make a cent on this. We are just trying to do the right thing here.'

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