Swedish healthy eating pioneer Picadeli Salad Bar, a new concept salad bar destination located in-store at grocery retailers in Europe and more recently, the midwest U.S at Schnucks and Eatwell, will replace its entire line of plastic lids with paper-based lids. The company says the move will eliminate 250 metric tons of plastic from its supply chain every year. The new lids are recyclable in household paper waste streams and are made from renewable plant-based fiber sourced from sustainably managed forests, the company says.
“We value the health of our planet as much as we value healthy eating," says Henrik Åkerman, head of sourcing and supply chain at Picadeli. "We are committed to preserving as many of our planet’s precious resources as possible, while also producing high-quality, functional packaging for our consumers to enjoy. With that in mind, we are delighted to introduce this new lid to our packaging. It fulfills all our needs and helps us reduce the amount of plastic in our portfolio, in line with modern consumer demands.”
The innovation offers a secure snap closure system that represents an upgrade on the performance of Picadeli's previous solution. Graphic Packaging worked with Picadeli to achieve the familiar, functional, and tactile 'snap' that consumers know and expect.
“Everything we do, we do for our customers, and so it’s always pleasing to develop innovations that deliver on our customers’ expectations so emphatically,” said Åke Larsson, managing director of Graphic Packaging Tibro AB - the site involved in designing and producing the innovation. “The new lids offer the functionality required for Picadeli to eliminate plastic salad bowl lids from their supply chain. They also offer great branding benefits via high-quality printing onto the lid using water-based inks.”
Picadeli used this opportunity to add bold, playful messages to the lids, enticing consumers to engage with the brand – an important benefit as it is the market-leading healthy fast-food outlet in Europe and the U.S., with over 2000 salad bars across Europe alone. During the development of the new lid solution, Graphic Packaging optimized the design to ensure it remained rigid in chilled and moisture-rich environments.