The Co-operative Food Goes Green with Roll Out of Recycled Plastic Shopping Baskets

Released on: May 13, 2010, 6:24 am
Author: The Co-operative Group
Industry: Retail

The Co-operative Group have always been known for their industry leading approach to green initiatives, whether it is their Plan Bee campaign to save the bees or opposition to tar sands, The Co-operative has made a point to ensure they operate ethically.

Now the humble shopping basket is the latest to benefit from a more green approach with a new design made from 100% recycled plastic that would have otherwise been sent to refuse sites and landfills.

The newly designed shopping basket had been tested in selected Co-operative Food stores and after a big thumbs up from shoppers it is hoped that by the end of the year at 1,000 of The Co-operative’s stores that 95,400 new baskets will be used by shoppers which will help save roughly 66 tonnes of plastic from being sent to the landfills or for incineration.

Sean Toal, Commercial Director at The Co-operative Food said, “We’re proud to be at the forefront of green product innovation.

“We’re sure our customers will welcome the new generation of shopping baskets, which, as well as being kinder to the environment, are much easier to carry.”

The new baskets are also benefitting from a more ergonomically friendly shape that contours around the leg to make carrying a basket full of shopping a more comfortable experience and reducing the strain put on the wrist.

ENDS

About The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group is a unique family of businesses run by over five-and-a-half million members, and together each have a say in how these businesses are run. With sales of over £13.7 billion, the group employs over 120,000 people serving around 21 million customers per week in over 4,800 high street branches and through online shopping.

The group’s values influence the products and services of each of these businesses, with ethical trading, social responsibility and efforts to combat climate change being at the forefront of all its business decisions. The Co-operative is also deeply involved in a number of important ethical issues such as mobile phone recycling - Oxfam and Climate Change - Co-operative, as well as a number of other key issues.

Contact Details: Dave Smith
dave.smith@co-operative.coop
http://www.co-operative.coop/

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