Tip Top unveils big change to their bread across two states
Your everyday loaf of bread is about to look a little bit different.
Iconic Aussie brand TipTop has undergone a major change to its humble sliced bread and it’s a big move towards sustainability.
Back in November 2020, TipTop announced it would be eliminating all of its plastic bag tags replacing them with paper.
The eco-friendly move has now been rolled out across New South Wales and Victoria.
It’s an Australian first which will see 400 million plastic pieces removed from national waste each year as it is rolled out across Australia and New Zealand.
The 100 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable cardboard bag tags have already been rolled out in South Australia. They will be used nationally in the next two years.
With New South Wales and Victoria now added to the rollout list, the environmentally friendly change will potentially stop 35 tonnes of plastic tags from entering waste streams.
Graeme Cutler, Director of Sales and CSR Lead at Tip Top ANZ, said the reason they had introduced the change was simple: “We’re doing it because it’s simply the right thing to do.”
“We want to be proactive, rather than wait for our customers to ask us to address our waste,” he continued.
“And, when it comes to working together as a nation to eliminate single-use plastics, we want to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.”
So will the new tags make any difference to the loaf of bread itself? My Cutler said the change had no impact on the freshness of their products whatsoever.
“Developed after rigorous testing and learning, the sustainable bag tags promise no compromise on freshness and taste,” he said.
“Customers can expect to be provided with the same Tip Top quality — freshly baked every day — that millions of Australians have enjoyed since the bakery began in 1958.”
Consumers are now being encouraged to recycle the new cardboard tags in their kerbside recycling bins by placing the tags securely into other cardboard or paper products.
The new bread tags are the first step for the company, which plans to have 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025.
On a larger scale, the Australian Government also plans to phase out “problematic and unnecessary plastics” by 2025.
Customers are excited about the change
Now that the change has begun being rolled out across three states, customers are starting to spot the difference and they’re impressed.
“About time. I wish all follow suit. This should have happened years ago, but yes great it's happening,” one said on the Tip Top Facebook page.
“Love you Tip Top!!! Top job,” said another.
While customers thought the idea was “great”, some had suggestions to improve the cardboard bread tags already.
“While I really really really like this, the last (3rd) time I went to put it back on, it acted like a broken plastic one (floppy end instead of broken off) and now it won't hold the bag closed,” one customer said.
“I suspect our bread will be dry and stale very quickly.
“Can they make them thicker or work on the teeth for a better grip and less chance to bend? I know the plastic ones also broke now and then, but my first experience with this hasn't been as great as I would hope.”
Helga's joins in on eco-friendly change
Helga's has also made the move to eliminate plastic bread tags, announcing they’ll be introducing 100 per cent recyclable cardboard bread tags across its range in September.
It’s another sustainability step for the brand which on July 1 switched to using 100 per cent renewable energy across all owned bakeries in Australia.
“The switch to 100 per cent renewable electricity for our Goodman Fielder operated bakeries is a critical step for Helga’s,” Head of Sustainability for Goodman Fielder, Mick Anderson said.
“By using renewable electricity at our Goodman Fielder operated sites, we are moving closer to our target of net zero carbon emissions by 2040; reducing our own and our consumer’s climate impact.”
The change comes four years before the company’s 100 per cent renewable electricity target was set to be met in 2025.
Helgas has also introduced 100 per cent recyclable packaging on their loaves, rolls and wraps.
“At Helga’s, our 100 per cent recyclable bags mean we’re reducing waste to landfill and contributing to new products being created from the recovered plastic,” Mr Anderson said.
“We want to educate and enable consumers on how they can participate in that process, helping to potentially recycle more than 62 million bags each year.”
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