Hofer primarily focuses on the reduction of the amount of packaging in the fruit and vegetable sector and - among others - uses natural branding and reusable boxes. This way, up to 100 tons of plastic should be saved annually.
In September 2018, Hofer launched an initiative to reduce packaging waste - the "Hofer Packaging Mission: Avoid, Reuse, Recycle". As a next step, the grocer now plans to reduce the amount of packaging in the fresh food area with a special focus on fruit and vegetables as much as possible. To this end, the supply of unpacked fruits and vegetables is constantly expanding. "Natural branding, the use of reusable crates and the switch to alternative packaging instead of conventional plastic, saves more than 100 tonnes of conventional plastic and nearly 4,800 tonnes of cardboard a year," says Sattledt. For example, Hofer dispenses with the packaging film for bananas in order to save material and, according to their own statements, this saves just under 50 tonnes of packaging film every year for organic bananas alone.
If packaging can not be avoided, alternative materials such as bio-meshes could be used for some organic products like potatoes or onions. The natural source material for these cellulose nets is beech wood, which according to Hofer will come as from Austrian forests as much as possible. The fruits and vegetables of our organic brands "Back to the origin" and "Nature active" should also be packaged in compostable foil wherever possible. This too is made of wood, is 100% GMO-free and largely CO2-neutral.
