Shoprite Introduces 100% Recyclable Potato Bags Across Stores
The Shoprite Group has launched a fully recyclable 7kg potato pocket, marking a breakthrough in sustainable packaging for the fresh produce industry.
Traditionally, potato bags have featured a dual-layer design: an outer layer and a moisture-resistant inner lining made from wet-strength paper. While effective for preserving produce, the inner layer has long posed a recycling challenge, as it could not be processed through local recycling facilities.
Shoprite’s new design overcomes this hurdle, offering a solution that can be recycled in its entirety—an innovation set to benefit millions of consumers who purchase these bags each year.
In 2023 alone, an estimated 18,600 tons of potato bags ended up in South African landfills—adding significantly to the country’s waste burden.
But the solution to this long-standing issue came not from external consultants or packaging suppliers, but from within the Shoprite Group. As part of a leadership development programme run in collaboration with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), a cross-functional team of five employees tackled the challenge through a real-world Action Learning Project (ALP).
Their goal: to make Shoprite’s 7kg potato pockets recyclable, reusable or compostable.
What initially seemed like a simple packaging redesign soon exposed the complexity of the supply chain. Industry body Potato SA requires potato bags to include a wet-strength inner layer that resists moisture—but this very feature renders the bags unrecyclable through existing local systems.
A previous study by the CSIR found that processing these linings would require purpose-built recycling plants at a cost of around R30 million each—making large-scale recycling economically unfeasible.
Over six months, the team mapped the entire value chain, engaging with various paper mills, packaging manufacturers, recyclers, retailers, consumers and waste pickers. They investigated international alternatives, evaluated repurposing claims, and probed whether consumer return schemes or even reuse in the construction industry could be viable. None of these were feasible for the local market.
The breakthrough came when long-standing multinational paper supplier Billerud, one of three major suppliers of potato pocket material for the local market, learnt of the challenge. Their research and development team in Sweden took on the task of developing a new semi-wet-strength formulation that is recyclable in South Africa.
Although Billerud’s first formulation failed, a second attempt passed local recyclability tests, meaning it met all technical requirements, came at no additional cost, and could be adopted without disrupting operations.
The new recyclable bag also passed shelf-life testing and will roll out across more than 1,400 Shoprite, Checkers and Usave supermarkets from May 2025.
As a result, the proportion of the Shoprite Group’s packaging that is recyclable, reusable or compostable will increase from 88.9% to 90% – firmly on track to meet its 2025 sustainable packaging targets.
Beyond environmental benefits, the change also creates economic opportunity. If adopted industry-wide, the new bag could unlock more than R22m in potential income for South Africa’s informal waste pickers.
Supplied by: The Shoprite Group.
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