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Albany Goes Biodegradable |
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Bread is a daily staple for millions of people around South Africa, so it makes sense for a bread company to consider the daily impact its packaging has on the environment. Albany Bread has risen to this challenge by making its entire bread bags biodegradable.
The amount of plastic that Albany sends to landfill is enormous. As the film traditionally used to package bread is so flimsy it is not viable to recycle it from a collection and logistical point of view. So Albany decided to change its packaging.
Khanyi Dhlamini of Tiger Brands says “Given that Albany Bread is the group's biggest user of packaging with some 500 million bags a year, this decision is a significant move by a leading player to do more to protect the environment. Converting to biodegradable packaging is, quite simply, the optimal answer,” says Dhlamini.
After conducting extensive research into many available technologies, Albany decided to link with Symphony Environmental. Their “degrade to water” or d2w additive creates oxo-biodegradable plastic and comes with a proven, globally recognised track record. These new bags will convert to their fundamental constituents, water, carbon dioxide and biomass.
“The company’s responsible decision to convert their bags to oxo-biodegradable paves a path for others to follow, and is set to remove up to 3 000 tons every year of waste and litter from the environment,” says George Fee, who heads up the local arm of UK-based Symphony Environmental, supplier of the d2w technology.
“We estimate an overall cradle-to-grave lifespan of two years,” explains Dhlamini. “In ideal weathering conditions, such as exposure to UV light and rain, we calculate the bags will degrade in a landfill within a year to 18 months.”
It’s important that the packaging biodegrades, but of course, it’s also important that it is strong while it is doing the job of storing bread. An important aspect of d2w is that the degradation process can be controlled via the use of inhibitors. “Many trials showed that the bags will last unblemished in storage with no in-store degradation,” says Dhlamini. “The bags have passed on all parameters with no compatibility or tainting issues, and maintain both their integrity and tensile strength.”
To mark this development and to help promote awareness of the benefits of a cleaner environment to young people, Albany has launched an art competition for primary, high and tertiary schools that aims to teach learners about the importance of a litter-free environment through the use of art. Says Dhlamini “Ideally, the artwork should represent some of the negative things the children would like to see disappear in South Africa.”
The competition takes place from May to October 2008, with cash prizes going to the winning schools. All artworks need to be completed by Friday 27 July 2008.
Sourced: www.albany.co.za |
