NAPKINIZED

Why waste paper when you can have dual utility to it? This is the clear insight on which KFC is working in the markets of UAE and Lebanon.

They have converted their receipts, menus and even paper bags into a material that can then be used a napkin!

All of this material comes with the words NAPKINIZED so that consumers know what to do with it beyond its obvious use.

The receipts and menus use a special UV printer machine with bio-degradable and eco-friendly ink, so that after you have read them, you can easily use it to wipe your face or hands.

I hope that this does not stay limited to just these markets. It is a brilliant idea that needs to scaled up across all KFC restaurants worldwide and potentially by other QSR brands too. 

Image credits: bandt.com.au

PLASTIC WITH EXPIRY DATES

In order to bring change, sometimes it is important to shock people so that it affects their behaviour. This seems to be the approach that a few supermarkets are taking in UK. 

Since the last few days, lot of food and drink items in the supermarkets have started appearing with expiry dates of the plastic! Yes, that is right. 

All the labels show an expiry date of 2499 and state "please recycle me". This should be enough for people to rethink their purchase and consumption pattern as well as how they dispose their #plastic. 

This idea is the brainchild of Grassroots campaigners, Gagandeep Jhuti and Joe Foale-Groves, who have been labeling products since the start of the new year to get people to think before they buy. 

So far, they have been doing this without the supermarkets permission but I think it won't be long before supermarkets welcome them for this initiative. 

Would we also see similar activities in other parts of the world soon? Let us wait and watch.

GAME CHANGERS

When we think of #sustainability, we often think of plastic, emissions and such elements, but it never strikes us that a simple thing as a tennis ball could be playing havoc with the planet. Every year, 300 million tennis balls are produced and hardly any of that gets recycled. 

ABN AMRO Bank N.V. being the sponsor of The ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament wanted to do something about it as they believe in the circular economy.

They recycled tennis balls and came up with completely new products, including a playground. This took the tennis world by surprise and got them great earned media. You can read all about it in the link below, and also see the case study video that made them the winner at The Drum Experience Awards 2019. 

                                          ABN Amro turns tennis balls into playground

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EDIBLE COFFEE CUPS

Every year, millions of plastic cups are used across airlines and then dumped into the growing pile of plastic that lies in the world.

New Zealand airline Air NZ knew that they had to do something about it, as they serve 8 million cups of coffee on their planes annually. 

So, they have just introduced edible coffee cups in their lounges and all their flights as a test. Made in partnership with the NZ company Twiice, these plant-based edible cups are vanilla flavoured and can withstand the heat from the coffee without melting. 

Some time back, they had already started serving #coffee in biodegradable cups, but this is definitely a step further. Having edible cups on board will also reduce the weight that they carry and further help in reducing the greenhouse gas that planes release. It is a great step forward towards a #sustainable planet.

ROUND PIZZA BOX

Pizza Hut has recently announced the launch of round pizza boxes! They had been working on this concept since the last two years and it is finally being rolled out in one Pizza Hut in Phoenix, USA.

The key benefits of this round box are:
1. Round boxes will take much lesser #packaging than the standard square boxes, which is great for their costs and also good for the environment. 2. The box is industrially compostable. 3.. The pizzas will stay crispier, giving a better experience to the consumers. 4. The box has easier interlocking mechanism, saving the employee time in folding the square boxes. This means an improvement in productivity. 5. The round boxes also ensure that the pizzas stay intact in delivery. It is clearly a strong idea with lot of advantages. 

Once tested and found successful, this #innovation will be rolled out to other Pizza Huts as well. 

Will this revolutionize the #pizza industry? We will have to wait and watch. 


#launch #kunalviews #idea #brands

BEER IN PAPER BOTTLES

With the focus increasing towards protecting the environment and coming up with #sustainable options, paper #packaging will be one of the hottest trends of 2020. Few days back, Carlsberg Group unveiled two prototypes of their green fibre beer bottles in paper packaging. These bottle are made from sustainably sourced bio-based wood fibres. These are not the final designs and there is still work to be done, but it is a great progress that the company has made since the time they started working on this idea in 2015. 

They are not the only ones working on paper bottles. Other companies like Coca Cola, Absolut and L'oreal have come together with Carlsberg to form a paper bottle community. It is a joint venture called #Paboco. So keep watching this space as the excitement and announcements will increase in the months ahead!

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BURGER KING MELTDOWN

Starting today, Burger King has launched a sustainability initiative 'The Meltdown' by getting rid of plastic toys from all its junior meals in UK. 

This is a step towards reducing #plastic and driving the conversation around sustainable solutions. This move will help in saving 320 tonnes of plastic each year. It doesn't stop there. There is more:

• Customers are invited to donate their plastic toys, whether from #BurgerKing or anywhere else ;) into the amnesty bins put up across their 500 restaurants.
• On dropping a toy and buying a full meal, a kids meal will be given free along with Meltdown stickers and a Meltdown crown.
• Recycled materials will be used to create a giant toy – an oversized jeep with a driving bunny 'Beep Beep' melting. This will be put up on the streets of London for all to witness. 

• They are tagging McDonald's on social media platforms and continuing with their banter, asking them to come and donate their toys too. 

This is yet another marketing coup by their CMO - Fernando Merchado and his team, who have been doing phenomenal work on the brand. Love the video - it is fun, cheeky and drives the message loud and clear!