Source: Northern Bloc

Northern Bloc’s eco tubs are made with a “fully natural organic compound”

Small brands are ramping up the war on plastic in new categories.

Ice cream brand Northern Bloc is to launch what is claims are the first-ever fully recyclable, biodegradable ice cream tubs across its range in January.

The ‘eco tubs’ were made with paper and a “fully natural organic compound” made from sugarcane, the byproduct of which was “fully reusable and breaks down naturally at room temperature”, the supplier claimed.

“There’s a huge focus nationally, and globally, on how we live our lives and how we address the waste we create, and as a brand making consumer goods, we have a responsibility,” founder Josh Lee told The Grocer.

The new tubs roll out alongside a new Vegan Salted Caramel Almond Swirl SKU at Co-op in January (rsp: £5/500ml).

Home baking brand Superfood Bakery, meanwhile, is switching from resealable plastic pouches to cardboard boxes for its range of baking mixes in “an effort to be more sustainable”.

The new packaging will roll out across the whole range early next year at major retailers including Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market, Ocado and Tesco.

And in personal care, social enterprise Clarity & Co has expanded its Soap Co range with a trio of new SKUs - all of which are completely plastic-free. They are: Exfoliating Coffee Scrub (rsp: £22/250g), and Mineral Soak in Neroli & Rosemary, and Sandalwood & Bergamot (rsp £22/220g).

They are labelled with 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based ink.