At the end of March 2017 the German discounter Penny will only sell bananas that aren’t completely sealed in plastic.
After the demise of the plastic bag in the supermarket, Penny starts a new chapter in the decline of plastic packaging. At the end of March 2017 the discount supermarket will end the sale of bananas completely sealed in plastic. The sale of bananas only packed with the new wrapping bands starts in North Germany, and in the following months all the 2,150 German supermarkets will follow suit. With this conversion Penny saves per year an amount of plastic that can cover about 900 football fields.
“We work very hard to get rid of plastic packaging wherever possible or to replace it with modern alternatives. The conversion of the bananas is very significant due to the large amount sold. Every year we sell about 35,000 metric tons of bananas. The new wrapping tape means that we can use 6.4 million square meters less plastic,” states Stefan Magel, Penny COO. The packaging challenge is by no means over. "Our customers have a clear expectation that will remain active," continues Magel.