At the end of February, Dutch organic supermarket chain Ekoplaza set a world first, creating a unique plastic-free aisle at one of its Amsterdam stores. Up to 700 items will be available to customers in the aisle, including many of the regular shopping choices such as fruit and vegetables, meat, dairy products and snacks.
Replacing the plastic packaging will be products made from various bio-degradable materials and other recyclable materials such as metal, cardboard and glass.
Chief executive of Ekoplaza Erik Does said: "We know that our customers are sick to death of products laden in layer after layer of thick plastic packaging.
"Plastic-free aisles are a really innovative way of testing the compostable biomaterials that offer a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic packaging."
Earlier this year we published our foodwatching report called Ditching the Plastic, looking at all the topics surrounding reducing plastic waste to the benefit of the environment. Read the report here. This covered plastic-free aisles, plastic policy in general, biodegradable and much more. If you can't access the report as you're not a trendhub subscriber, get in touch today to find out how you can join.
Another example of a brand getting on board with going anti-plastic is Primrose's Kitchen, who've titled their latest launch campaign Packaged With Love Not Plastic. The brand continually looks into how to reduce packaging or using the most eco-friendly options available, with its products being packaged in simple recycled/recyclable bags and boxes.