Co-op has announced it is launching an own-brand kitchen towel made from “100% recycled content”, including recycled cardboard.
The retailer says it will roll out the towels in 1,000 of its stores throughout early 2024, as part of its Honest Value range. The new line will save 230 tonnes of pure pulp, Co-op says. The new own-brand kitchen towel will retail at £1.85, which is 5% cheaper than the current Honest Value SKU.
The new product, developed by Co-op with its supplier WEPA, features a blend of recycled materials including 70% cardboard fibres – such as brown boxes used for home deliveries – while the remaining 30% is recycled fibres from sorted office waste.
Co-op says the new fibre source for this product comes from brown cardboard fibres, which gives the kitchen towel its pale beige colour. The change in colour, alongside “reassurance of the quality and absorbency” of the product, will be communicated with on-pack messaging, the retailer says.
Janet Lawrence, Technical Manager at Co-op, commented: “This product directly supports a circular recycling economy, which we champion at Co-op, helping us to achieve our sustainability goals. The clever use of cardboard fibres, which are more abundant in the UK post-pandemic, is such a great message.
“We understand customers might be confused by the beige colouring of the kitchen towel when they are used to white, but we want to reassure shoppers that this product has the same absorbency and quality as the previous line.”
