In a significant step towards more sustainable consumer choices, Upfield has unveiled the world’s first entirely plastic-free packaging for its Flora Plant range in the UK.
Flora, the renowned food spread brand, has debuted the revolutionary plastic-free paper tub in the UK, marking a first for the nation. Starting from 17 April 2024, these new recyclable tubs will be available for purchase at 386 Sainsbury’s stores throughout the UK, exclusively offering Flora Plant products.
The innovative tubs are crafted from compressed wet paper fibres, making them entirely oil and waterproof. A distinctive feature of these tubs is the absence of a plastic liner, which facilitates their recycling with other paper and cardboard waste from households, once any residue is cleaned off. This design reflects Upfield’s commitment to simplifying sustainable choices for consumers.
After four years of intensive development by Upfield’s top food scientists, product, and packaging specialists, in collaboration with Footprint, MCC, and Pagès Group, these tubs were successfully introduced in Austria before reaching the UK.
Initially, this eco-friendly packaging will be used for Flora Plant B+tter Spreadable. Introduced in 2023, Flora Plant is a blend of natural, entirely plant-based ingredients, free from dairy and palm oil. It offers a 73% lower climate impact than traditional dairy butter while maintaining the familiar taste and versatility for cooking, baking, and spreading cherished by Flora enthusiasts.
Ian Hepburn, Marketing Director – UK at Upfield, stated: “Flora has been a staple of British kitchen cupboards for over six decades thanks to our commitment to constantly listen to our customers and evolve our products in tune with their demands. We know that UK shoppers want products that have less climate impact but are unsure how to do this easily. We launched Flora Plant [in 2023] and now we’ve gone one step further by bringing world-first packaging innovation to UK supermarket shelves, helping shoppers to make simple sustainable swaps. Moving away from plastic has always been an ambition for everyone at Upfield. Today’s roll-out of our paper tub is a result of four years of dedicated innovation from our brilliant product & packaging experts. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and will keep moving towards our goal to replace up to two billion plastic tubs by 2030,” he concluded.