Bimbo Canada is the first national bakery in North America to take an important step toward achieving a circular economy by transitioning plastic bread bag tags to compostable, cardboard bread bag clips on all its bread products. This small, yet impactful, change is beginning immediately and is anticipated to be complete by this June. Once complete, it will reduce the company’s single-use plastic by approximately 200 metric tonnes annually.
The cardboard bread tags are made from 100% recycled cardboard and have been tested over repeated use cycles at room, refrigerator, and freezer temperatures to ensure the clips keep products fresh until the last bite. The clips have been certified by the Compost Manufacturing Alliance and have also been certified compostable in municipal settings by BNQ (Bureau de normalisation du Québec), a member of the National Standards System (NSS). They biodegrade in 84 days.
The cardboard clips can be composted in municipal composting programs with curbside organics pickup or local drop-off. For areas without municipal composting programs, consumers are encouraged to place the clips inside a larger paper-based product in their recycling bin to aid in the sorting process.
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“It’s important we lead change and be responsible stewards of the environment, and the communities that we live and work in, by delivering results,” says Joe McCarthy, president of Bimbo Canada. “This announcement helps us fulfill our commitment to Nourish A Better World through sustainable business practices and helps us to inspire others to do the same. All changes, big or small, make an impact.”
To make the change, Bimbo Canada partnered with KLR Systems, a Canadian company based in Quebec that is a leader in bakery manufacturing. The company received the Food Innovation Award from the Quebec Food Processing Council last year for the cardboard bread tag innovation.
