Flora is launching the world’s first plastic-free paper tub in the UK for the first time. From 17 April, shoppers will be able to buy Flora Plant products in plastic-free, recyclable tubs – exclusively in 386 Sainsbury’s stores.
The move is part of brand owner Upfield’s global ambition to reduce plastic across its portfolio by 80% by 2030.
The new tubs – made from compressed wet paper fibres – are oil and waterproof. Unlike many paper packaging solutions, the tub does not come with a plastic liner, meaning shoppers can recycle it along with other paper and cardboard household waste, once wiped clean of any residue.
Their arrival on UK shelves comes after four years of development by Upfield, in collaboration with Footprint, MCC, and Pagès Group. They have already been rolled out in Austria.
The new packaging will initially be available for the brand’s Flora Plant B+tter Spreadable product. Launched last year, Flora Plant is made with natural ingredients and is dairy free and palm oil free. It is claimed to have 73% less climate impact than dairy butter, with the same taste and versatility across cooking, baking, and spreading that other Flora products have.
Ian Hepburn, Marketing Director, UK, Upfield, said: “Flora has been a staple of British kitchen cupboards for over six decades thanks to our commitment to constantly listen to our customers and evolve our products in tune with their demands.
“We know UK shoppers want products that have less climate impact but are unsure how to do this easily. We launched Flora Plant last year, and now we’ve gone one step further by bringing world-first packaging innovation to UK supermarket shelves, helping shoppers to make simple sustainable swaps.
“Moving away from plastic has always been an ambition for everyone at Upfield. Today’s roll-out of our paper tub is a result of four years of dedicated innovation from our brilliant product & packaging experts. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved and will keep moving towards our goal to replace up to two billion plastic tubs by 2030.”
