Iceland introduces sustainable wood fibre carrier bags

Iceland Foods and Paptic have joined forces to introduce a groundbreaking carrier bag made of wood fibres, set to be rolled out across all Iceland and Food Warehouse stores in the UK.

The new carrier bag, crafted from Paptic® material, offers strength, lightness, reusability, and moisture resistance while utilising wood fibres from sustainably managed forests. At the end of its lifecycle, the bag is recyclable alongside paper or cardboard materials.

Paptic® technology enables the bag to provide moisture resistance and durability while using 40% fewer raw materials compared to other paper alternatives. It is designed to withstand heavy, wet, and frozen goods, even during extended journeys. Additionally, the bag is engineered for multiple reuses, featuring easy folding capabilities and provided instructions for optimal use.

Mark Armstrong, Senior Packaging Technologist at Iceland Foods, said: We continuously look for ways to improve our offering for our customers and to meet our ambitious sustainability goals. Therefore, after an extensive period of piloting this bag in stores across the country we have moved to switch to offering paper bags by Paptic® as the best choice for our customers and the environment.

Mark also confirmed the phased introduction of the new bag across all stores in the UK, including the Food Warehouse, over the coming months.

Paptic's commitment to research and development focuses on creating recyclable wood-fibre materials, assisting brands and retailers in reducing plastic dependency in packaging and promoting the efficient utilisation of raw material resources to support environmental conservation efforts.