BIODEGRADABLE food packaging is to be trialled at the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final between England and Germany on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.
It comes as part of a partnership between Just Eat and UEFA, with the duo saying that mass sporting events often generate up to seven tonnes of waste on average.
The sustainable food packaging solution from Notpla is made from cardboard with a ‘unique’ seaweed coating designed to be water-resistant and greaseproof. Just Eat said that the packaging is both recyclable and home-compostable and will biodegrade within 4-6 weeks ‘just like a normal piece of fruit’.
Veolia, Wembley Stadium’s resource management partner, will separate the sustainable packaging from other waste and recycling for treatment at an anaerobic digestion plant, which treats food and other organic matter to produce renewable electricity.
Jaz Rabadia, head of responsible business and sustainability at Just Eat, said, “Using our global sponsorship partnership with UEFA is a perfect way to showcase this sustainable packaging initiative within the football industry, giving Just Eat the chance to drive and test new innovations with football fans. We’re committed to using our scale and influence to drive a more sustainable future for the food delivery industry and we’re so excited to see this come to life at such a huge sporting event.”
Michele Uva, director of football & social responsibility at UEFA, added, “The circular economy is an important pillar of UEFA’s Football Sustainability Strategy 2030. Working with Just Eat to assess aspects of a food & beverage circularity pilot project at the world’s biggest women national competition match is an important milestone in UEFA’s efforts to minimise the impact of football on the environment and drive resource efficiency and cost savings.
“Building on best practices of Just Eat and other stakeholders, we are developing a practical guide to help us achieve zero plastic waste and food waste – within UEFA, across UEFA events and collaboratively across European football.”
