The biodegradable and flavourless seaweed sachets will help reduce single-use plastic waste in takeaways
Image: Hellmann’s and Just Eat have collaborated to trial Notpla’s seaweed sauce sachets. Photo: courtesy of Unilever.
British online food order and delivery service Just Eat has collaborated with Unilever’s brand Hellmann’s to reduce single-use plastic pollution across the takeaway sector.
As part of the sustainable initiative, the partnership has launched a trial of Notpla’s seaweed sauce sachets.
Supported by the Innovate UK fund, the trial facilitates Just Eat customers to have Hellmann’s sauces with zero plastic waste.
The trial is launched in London, and plans are underway to expand to more cities.
During the trial, around 65 Just Eat restaurant partners have provided a range of Hellmann’s ketchup, BBQ, tartare and garlic sauces in the seaweed sachets, helping to avoid the use of single-use plastic sauce sachets in takeaways.
Just Eat UK managing director Andrew Kenny said: “As market leader, we take our responsibility to affect positive change in the food delivery sector seriously. One of our key areas of focus is helping our 35,700 restaurant partners across the UK reduce plastic pollution.”
The seaweed-based Notpla sachets will biodegrade in around six weeks
In 2018, Just Eat first collaborated with sustainable packaging start-up Notpla to test the sachets with 10 restaurant partners. The move helped to prevent 46,000 plastic ketchup sachets from entering landfill.
Notpla sachets are produced by using seaweed-based material, which can naturally biodegrade in around six weeks.
The sustainable sachets, which can be opened similar to normal sachets, can be thrown into the home compost for full decomposition or normal waste bin. The flavourless and colourless features of the sachet will help provide the exact taste of the sauce.
Unilever UK & Ireland, Unilever Food Solutions managing director and marketing foods and tea vice-president Hazel Detsiny said: “At Hellmann’s we’re committed to creating a more sustainable future for food – by enhancing taste and reducing waste.
“From reducing plastic in our packaging to encouraging love for leftovers with our ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ initiative, we continue to test and explore new ways to help people enjoy delicious meals as sustainably as possible.”