The Essential Bread Bag Facts!
Most sliced bread is put into a polyethylene bag. And yes polyethylene or polythene is plastic which we know can be bad for the planet if not managed carefully. But the poly bread bag is used for a number of important reasons and we think you’ll see that these reasons outweigh the seeming negatives. It’s all about balance. In this case it’s the balance between reducing plastics and reducing food waste, two of the big contributors to our planet’s health. So what are these important reasons?
- It keeps your daily bread fresher for longer than in paper or compostable bags and wrappers. Keeping it fresh means we get better value from our bread, staying edible for longer and making the most of the price we paid for it, thus reducing food waste.
- It keeps the bread hygienic to transport and eat. Closed with a taped seal it keeps everything safe inside and that resealable seal means you can open and reseal the bag and it’s contents again and again maintaining freshness.
- Polyethylene is a readily recyclable plastic that gets used for all sorts of purposes. The resealable seal is made from polypropylene which is also a recyclable material. Better still the seal is also of the polyolefin family and SO small that when attached to the bread bag, the whole thing is recyclable together!
- There are sustainable alternatives for polyethylene bread bags, including the incorporation of post-consumer recycled content, contributing to the circular economy. St. Johns Packaging offers many solutions worth checking out. www.sjpack.com
Look out for the 4 symbol that denotes polyethylene. It may also
appear with PE or PE-LD instead of LDPE. And it can appear on
it’s own too. Confusing isn’t it!?
