TORONTO – Canada’s oldest and largest commercial bakery, Bimbo Canada, is taking an important step towards achieving a circular economy by transitioning 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®. This small, yet impactful change will begin immediately and will begin and is anticipated to be complete by June, 2022. Once complete, it will reduce the company’s single-use plastic by approximately 200 metric tonnes annually.
“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. “This announcement helps us fulfill our commitment to Nourish A Better World through sustainable business practices and helps us to inspire others to do the same. All changes, big or small, make an impact.”
To make the change, Bimbo Canada partnered with KLR Systems, a Canadian company based in Quebec that is a leader in bakery manufacturing. The company received the Food Innovation Award from the Quebec Food Processing Council last year for the cardboard bread tag innovation.
“We developed this product knowing some small plastics, like bread tags, cannot always be recycled,” said Audrey Gagnon, General Manager of KLR Systems. “Our goal for this innovation was to leverage local renewable resources that benefit the environment while also creating a product that consumers were familiar with using. We are excited to work with Bimbo Canada on this initiative to bring more sustainable options to people across the country.”
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 drop-off. 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 BNQ (Bureau de normalisation du Québec), a member of the National Standards System (NSS). The cardboard clips can be composted in municipal composting programs with curbside organics pickup or local drop-off. Canadians should check with their local waste management authority as these programs may not be available in their area. For areas without municipal composting programs, consumers are encouraged to place the clips inside a larger paper-based product in their recycling bin to aid in the sorting process.
This initiative brings Bimbo Canada one step closer to achieving its 2025 sustainability goal of having 100 per cent of its packaging support a circular economy through being recyclable, biodegradable or compostable. Last year, the company joined the Canada Plastics Pact and signed two Virtual Power Purchase agreements to offset 100 per cent of its electricity consumption once fully operational in December, 2022. And through other sustainability initiatives, we also made significant progress in 2021 reducing water by 77,569 m3 which would fill 31 Olympic-sized swimming pools, reducing natural gas use by 356,687 m3 which is enough to cook more than 1M meals, reducing electricity by 2.3M kWh which could power 209 Canadian homes for one year and reducing food waste by 380,556 kg which is enough food for 1.3M meals. These, among many other sustainability initiatives, will support the company’s goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions globally by 2050.
About Bimbo Canada
Bimbo Canada is Canada’s largest bakery, operating for more than 100 years. It is a leading producer and distributor of fresh packaged breads and snacks with more than 1,000 products across 18 brands Canadians know and love, like Dempster’s®, Stonemill®, Villaggio®, Vachon® and Takis®. We are proud to feed Canadian families with safe, high-quality products they can trust made by Canadians, for Canadians at 16 bakeries, 15 sales centres and 191 depots across the country.
Bimbo Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo, the world’s largest baking company. Together, they are nourishing a better world with delicious baked goods and snacks by building a sustainable, highly productive and deeply humane company. The company is dedicated to building a diverse workplace that promotes equity and belonging, where all employees can develop and contribute to the transformation of the company, the baking industry and our communities.
For more, visit www.bimbocanada.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram.
About KLR Systems
KLR Systems is a Canadian business specialized in supplying packaging solutions internationally for the baking industry. It is a leading supplier of bagging machines but is best known for our bag closing solutions, especially the cardboard bread clip. We pride ourselves in our in-house design and manufacturing, allowing us to adapt design and machine to individual customer needs. This flexibility has earned customers globally.
KLR Systems is a privately held company. We empower our team to improve packaging efficiency while simplifying the customer’s experience. Our customer direct approach builds relationships quickly and our employees-first attitude promotes long term growth from them and our company. All building to a simpler and productive future.
