Tops launches 100% biodegradable eco-friendly meat packaging

Tops, a Food Business under Central Retail, takes bold steps towards a sustainable future with the launch of eco-friendly meat packaging for chilled meat sections. This groundbreaking move highlights the retention of flavour, freshness, and importance of safety, all while utilising top-tier products crafted from natural plant materials that swiftly decompose, replacing conventional plastics.

Tops emerged as the first in Thailand’s supermarket industry to embrace such packaging, aligning seamlessly with Central Retail’s Green & Sustainable concept, dedicated to achieving carbon neutrality or Net Zero by the year 2050. This reaffirms Tops’ role of leadership in the retail food sector, fuelled by a future-oriented vision that places environmental and societal well-being at the forefront, encouraging every customer to play a part in fostering sustainable development. The eco-friendly packaging is now available at all participating branches of Tops and Tops Food Hall.

Mr. Stephane Coum, Chief Executive Officer – Food Group, Central Retail, affirmed,“Tops remains steadfast in delivering the best shopping experiences to all customers, with a commitment to continuous product and service development, all while being mindful of the importance of sustainability in business practices for the greater good of our society and environment. A key pillar of our environmentally conscious approach is the integration of eco-friendly packaging solutions. We are excited to introduce groundbreaking sustainable packaging solutions for pork and chicken products, crafted entirely from natural plant fibres that decompose within 45 days, effectively replacing conventional plastics. This represents a significant leap towards sustainable innovation, aimed at curbing carbon emissions from production processes, and encouraging consumer participation in creating a more liveable world, aligned with Central Retail’s vision to lead as a Green & Sustainable Retailer. Our journey towards achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 is well underway.”

This innovative packaging debut marks a monumental milestone, being Thailand’s first supermarket employing eco-friendly packaging for meat products that decompose naturally, thus mitigating environmental and societal impacts, and reducing potential harm to wildlife caused by plastic pollution. Each unit of packaging is estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 64 grams. Currently, Tops has initiated the transition to this new packaging for pork and chicken products across 14 items, available at all participating branches of Tops and Tops Food Hall, with plans to extend this packaging shift to beef and lamb products, and eventually to Tops daily stores, aiming to slash carbon dioxide emissions by more than 3 tons of CO2-equivalent by the end of 2024.

Moreover, Tops underscores its commitment to environmental sustainability throughout its entire supply chain. Since December of last year, Tops has embraced eco-friendly packaging innovations for packaging fresh cherries. These packaging materials, crafted from agricultural by-products such as rice straw, sugarcane bagasse, and water hyacinth, biodegrade within 45 days. By switching to eco-friendly packaging made from 100% recyclable clear PET plastic, we've reduced carbon dioxide emissions by over 11 tons of CO2-equivalent. This eco-conscious material also ensures food safety for our products.

Tops remains steadfast in its drive to adopt environmentally friendly packaging across various product categories in the future. In 2024, we're focusing on reducing carbon dioxide emissions through the use of eco-friendly packaging for fresh cherries and meat products. This initiative is estimated to achieve a reduction of approximately 45 tons of CO2-equivalent.

Source: Central Retail