Hibiscus Coast shoppers will start to notice recyclable LDPE wrap replacing PVC in New World and PAK’nSAVE stores.

Foodstuffs has replaced non-recyclable PVC wrap with recyclable LDPE across butchery, bakery, produce and deli departments.

As of January 2026, most Foodstuffs North and South Island stores have adopted the new wrap.

Both co-operatives plan to complete the transition by the end of June 2026.

The change forms part of their commitment to reducing problem plastics and sending less waste to landfill.

It is expected to remove around 850 tonnes of PVC plastic from landfill each year, equivalent to about 1,400 skip bins.

Foodstuffs worked with packaging supplier Wedderburn for more than three years, including blind in-store trials testing PVC against recyclable LDPE.

The new wrap had to perform as well as or better than PVC, be recyclable through the New Zealand Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme, and be cost effective.

Foodstuffs New Zealand sustainable packaging manager Debra Goulding said, “We knew the new wrap had to work across our machinery, our fresh departments, and in customers’ homes. It had to do everything the PVC was doing previously.”

The wrap works with chilled and ambient products including meat, seafood, fruit, vegetables and baked goods.

Hot foods are moving to paper bags, tubs and LDPE carry bags.

LDPE is a single-polymer plastic recyclable through New Zealand’s soft plastics recycling infrastructure.

It can be remoulded into products such as bin liners, recycled packaging, plastic timber fence posts and other construction and agricultural items.

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