• Dutch natural supermarket chain EkoPlaza has launched a plastic-free grocery store aisle. What looks like plastic in this photo is actually biodegradeable biofilm. (Photo: EkoPlaza)
    Dutch natural supermarket chain EkoPlaza has launched a plastic-free grocery store aisle. What looks like plastic in this photo is actually biodegradeable biofilm. (Photo: EkoPlaza)
Close×

A 'world-first' retail experiment involving a supermarket aisle free of plastic has been launched in Amsterdam.

More than 700 products are now available without plastic packaging in the aisle, which has been set up in a new metro-sized pilot store of supermarket chain Ekoplaza.

The products include meat, rice, sauces, dairy, chocolate, cereals, fruit and vegetables.

The environmental campaign group behind the idea, A Plastic Planet, said the aisle was a “landmark moment” in the global fight against plastic pollution.

Co-founder Sian Sutherland has called for more supermarkets globally to follow Ekoplaza’s lead.

Iceland has pledged to go plastic-free on all its own-brand packaging by 2023, and in the Netherlands, Ekoplaza will roll out plastic-free aisles across its 74 branches by the end of this year.

The aisle will be used to test out new compostable bio-materials, as well as using traditional materials including glass, metal and cardboard, the scheme’s backers said.

Goods within the aisle will carry the Plastic Free Mark, a label introduced by A Plastic Planet to help shoppers identify products that are free of plastic packaging.

Food & Drink Business

Australia’s liquor industry is experiencing a period of change. Shifting category dynamics and marginal growth are putting pressure on the sector to innovate. A key force driving some of the changes: the consumer. Circana senior consultant, Andrew Gerard, reflects on the trends driving the nation.

Australia is at a critical crossroads in the race to capture value from the booming global plant protein industry, according to a new industry report released by Food Frontier.

New Zealand-based alcohol company, The Slight Twist Brewing Co., is launching its first international export collaboration in partnership with US independent brewery, Harland Brewing Co., to launch a range of cocktail-inspired seltzers.