Tip Top bread maker is fighting the fight against plastic waste by launching its sustainable bag tags in Victoria and New South Wales.
The initiative aims to eliminate 400 million single-use plastic pieces each year as they roll out in Australia and New Zealand.
In 2020, in South Australia, they swapped plastic labels for greener, 100% recycled and 100% recyclable cardboard labels.
From today, buyers in NSW and Victoria can buy their Tip Top bread with a clear conscience, says Tip Top.
“We want to be proactive and not wait for our customers to ask us to dispose of our waste,” says Graeme Cutler, Director of Sales and CSR Lead at Tip Top ANZ.
“And when it comes to working together as a nation to eliminate single-use plastics, we want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
"Developed after rigorous tests and learning processes, the sustainable bag tags promise no compromises in terms of freshness and taste."
The plastic-free plan
After its introduction in South Australia, the imitation will remove nearly 100 million tags across the three states.
Tip Top encourages consumers to recycle their cardboard labels in roadside recycling bins by safely tucking the labels inside other paper or cardboard products such as an envelope or paper bag. This gives them the best chance of being recycled into a new product.
Planet Ark Deputy CEO Rebecca Gilling added, “Small plastic items like bread labels are problematic in recycling and in waste streams.
"For this reason, Planet Ark is pleased that Tip Top is reducing waste by replacing plastic bread labels with a circular solution made from 100% recycled cardboard."
In addition to introducing the carton labels, the company plans to further address the recycling confusion as part of the “Feed Aussie Families More Sustainably” vision.
This also includes upgrading packaging with the Australasian Recycling Label.
Cutler says: "Our goal is that by 2025 all Tip Top packaging is 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable in order to close the waste cycle."
Further information on Tip Top's sustainability goals can be found here.