Asian supermarkets use banana leaves instead of plastic packaging for fruit & veg.
For decades many consumers have been pushing Australian retailers to reduce the overpacking of fruit and vegetables, but it’s still happening.
Now, it seems our neighbours to the north are streets ahead of us.
First it was Thailand, now Vietnam has started packaging their fruit with all natural banana leaves.
Apart from the positive impact on the environment, it keeps the produce fresher and it also seems to enhance product appeal and therefore sales.
Hoa, a local shopper told the VN Express “When I see vegetables wrapped in these beautiful banana leaves I’m more willing to buy in larger quantities. I think this initiative will help locals be more aware of protecting the environment,”
Vietnamese supermarkets are now exploring using banana leaves for other fresh products such as meat.
While there are clearly some logistical challenges, especially when it comes to branding the product, it is certainly a great leap forward from plastic wrapping everything.
Australia, we have some catching up to do!
Michael Hughes
Michael is Managing Partner and Strategy Director at Truly Deeply, a brand agency with 25 years’ experience working with brands to position them for growth. His deep expertise is in unlocking the strategic power of your brand to create a differentiated, compelling and authentic brand proposition that will engage all your audiences. Michael has extensive experience working across Australia and the Middle East working with leading Australian and International organisations across just about every sector.