When it comes to plastic waste, fruit and vegetable packaging is one of the biggest challenges food retailers face. In Austria, one of the ways in which SPAR is addressing this through its hypermarket division, INTERSPAR, is by testing a new alternative to plastic bags: a polyester net with a drawstring for loose fruit, which is washable and environmentally friendly.

The reusable bag is available as a four-pack in all INTERSPAR Hypermarkets in the country for €1,49. Up to eight pieces of fruit or vegetables can be transported per bag.

Continued efforts to reduce plastic waste

SPAR Austria contributes to the reduction of plastic through a variety of measures. As part of the sustainability agenda from the Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism, SPAR Supermarkets and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets saved more than 20% of fruit and vegetable bags last year. And it’s not just fruit and vegetable packaging that the SPAR Partner is concerned about – in all product ranges, attention is being paid to environmentally-friendly packaging. For instance, SPAR Austria changed the packaging of SPAR enjoy sandwiches from plastic to cardboard, helping to save 22 tons of plastic per year.

SPAR Austria has tested alternatives to fruit and vegetable bags in the past. In 2014, it offered light-weight organic bags, some of which were made of bio-plastic. In 2016, customers were able to pack fruit and vegetables in paper bags. However, both options proved to be impractical and resulted in no significant CO2 savings. It’s hoped that the new measures will bring some real benefits to the environment.

Source: SPAR Österreich

Read more news from SPAR Austria

About SPAR Austria

The origins of SPAR in Austria date back to 1954 when the first SPAR organisation was established, after being granted the licence to operate the SPAR Brand by SPAR International. The current SPAR AG was created in 1970 when the original founding families joined with other regional wholesalers to form SPAR Austria AG – a 100% privately owned Austrian company.