Bimbo Canada introduces compostable bread bag clips

Toronto – Bimbo Canada said it will transition plastic bread bag tags to compostable, cardboard bread bag clips on all bread products including Dempster’s, Villaggio, POM, Bon Matin, Ben’s and Stonemill.

The change, expected to be complete by June 2022, will reduce the company’s single-use plastic by approximately 200 metric tonnes annually, the commercial bakery said in a news release.

“It’s important we lead change and be responsible stewards of the environment, and the communities that we live and work in, by delivering results,” said Joe McCarthy, president of Bimbo Canada.

To make the change, Bimbo Canada partnered with KLR Systems, a Canadian company based in Quebec.

“We developed this product knowing some small plastics, like bread tags, cannot always be recycled,” said Audrey Gagnon, general manager of KLR Systems.

The cardboard bread tags are made from 100 per cent recycled cardboard and are compostable in municipal systems across Canada with curbside organics pickup or local dropoff. They have been tested over repeated use cycles at room, refrigerator and freezer temperatures to ensure the clips keep products fresh until the last bite. They biodegrade in 84 days.

The clips have been certified by the Compost Manufacturing Alliance and have also been certified compostable in municipal settings by Bureau de normalisation du Québec, a member of the National Standards System.