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Back to basics: Coles trials boxes for fruit & veg

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02 Oct, 2024

This post was originally published on Sustainability Matters

In a move to reduce plastic waste and the use of single-use plastic bags in its fresh produce department, Coles has launched a new trial that will give customers the option to use a cardboard box when buying loose fruit and vegetables.

Customers will be given the opportunity to reuse one of the cardboard boxes used to deliver fresh fruit and vegetables to Coles stores — giving the box a second life and helping shoppers to reduce the need to use plastic bags in the fresh produce department.

The plastic-free alternative is free of charge and is available to collect loose fresh produce items in select stores. Customers can then use the boxes to carry items home where they can be recycled, or they can leave the box at the checkout for another customer.

The eight-week trial will take place in five stores, including Prahan and Waverly Gardens in Melbourne, Noosa Heads in Queensland, Ocean Shores in New South Wales and the Perth suburb of Hilton.

Coles Chief Operations and Sustainability Officer Matt Swindells said not only does the initiative help reduce the use of single-use plastic produce bags, the cardboard boxes provide a free solution for those who forget their reusable shopping bags.

“We know our customers want us to provide more sustainable packaging solutions, and this trial offers a plastic-free alternative to fresh produce bags that, if successful, could see a sizeable reduction in the number of plastic produce bags in circulation,” Swindells said.

“The great thing about these boxes is that they fit easily in your trolley, and can be taken home and recycled, or left at store for someone else to use again. It also brings a local grocer feel to your shop while helping to create a more sustainable future,” he said.

In addition to the box trial, in 2023 Coles stopped selling soft plastic shopping bags in-store and online, which removed 230 million plastic bags from circulation in one year. 100% recycled paper bags that can be recycled kerbside are now available for purchase, as well as a range of reusable tote, chiller and mesh produce bags.

Image caption: Coles team member Jessica with Coles Prahran team member Dimple.

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ABB receives EPD status for gearless mill drive ring motor

ABB receives EPD status for gearless mill drive ring motor

ABB has gained Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) status for its Gearless Mill Drive (GMD) ring motor — technology used to drive large grinding mills in the mining industry.

An EPD is a standardised document that provides detailed information about the environmental impact of a product throughout its life cycle. Based on a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, the EPD highlights ABB’s commitment to transparency, environmental responsibility and supporting customers in making informed decisions on sustainability in their supply chains.

ABB analysed the environmental impact of a ring motor across its entire life cycle from supply chain and production to usage and end-of-life disposal. The study was conducted for a ring motor of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill with an installed power of 24 MW and was based on a reference service life of 25 years.

“Sustainability is at the core of our purpose at ABB, influencing how we operate and innovate for customers,” said Andrea Quinta, Sustainability Specialist at ABB. “By earning the Environmental Product Declaration for our ring motor, we emphasise our environmental stewardship and industry leadership for this technology. We adhered to the highest standards throughout this process, as we do in the ABB Ring Motor factory every day. This recognition highlights to the mining industry what they are bringing into their own operations when they work with ABB.”

The comprehensive LCA was conducted at ABB’s factory in Bilbao, Spain, and was externally verified and published in accordance with international standards ISO 14025 and ISO 14040/14044. It will remain valid for five years.

The ring motor, a key component of the GMD, is a drive system without any gears where the transmission of the torque between the motor and the mill is done through the magnetic field in the air gap between the motor stator and the motor rotor. It optimises grinding applications in the minerals and mining industries by enabling variable-speed operation, leading to energy and cost savings.

The full EPD for the ABB GMD Ring Motor can be viewed on EPD International.

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