As an organics-led business, sustainability is high on Murray River Organics’ agenda.
Since the launch of the MRO branded range in 2020, the team at Murray River Organics has been making consistent strides to improve its environmental impact through packaging design and innovation.
The company commenced with reusable and refillable canisters made for its organic muesli. These were designed with a non-stick peelable label and customers loved the brand for it, according to MRO.
MRO is now introducing two new initiatives, a partnership with REDcycle and a roll-out of new Recycled PET (RPET) canisters.
MRO made the decision to move away from single serve muesli sachets by the end of 2021, however, select MRO products, including its Woolworths range of dried fruit and nuts, still come in a soft plastic doypacks.
“It was important for the business to seek out opportunities for MRO customers to recycle this plastic, which is where its partnership with REDcycle has come into play,” says MRO Communications Manager Alice Cloake.
REDcycle is a recycling program that takes flexible (soft) plastics – the ones you can’t recycle through kerbside pickup – and turns them into a material that can be used to manufacture new products. REDcycle bins are located at the front of all Woolworths and Coles stores nationally. MRO’s partnership with REDcycle, established in June, allows customers to return MRO soft plastic to these bins.
MRO’s next move will see Recycled PET become its new standard.
Its new canister builds on the existing design but gets a whole lot greener, according to the brand. Taking effect with select products from November of this year and rolling out across the brand’s entire canister-packaged range from early 2022.
The change will save an estimated half a million single used canisters from being produced, according to MRO.
“MRO’s current canisters are made from a single use PET (polyethylene terephthalate). They can be reused and recycled but they do require the production of single use plastic.”
Its new RPET canisters are made from post-consumer PET.
“It is entirely safe to be used in food packaging and has a lower carbon footprint than virgin PET,” Ms Cloake said.
The team at MRO is on a path for betterment, by its customers and the planet.
“These improvements are just the beginning.”