Save-On-Foods: Upcycling Styrofoam Containers with Styro-Go

CPP Roadmap Target #3

Project Timeline

2022

The Circular Solution 

Styrofoam, also known as polystyrene, is a commonly used material for shipping food and other products due to its insulating properties. However, it is also a major source of plastic pollution, as it is not easily recyclable and typically ends up in landfills or the environment.

Save-On-Foods, a chain of supermarkets located across Western Canada, has been working to examine how it can transform “back-of-house” logistics and packaging to eliminate this material entirely. To address this issue in the meantime, the retailer has partnered with Styro-Go, a local recycling company, to upcycle its used Styrofoam containers into other products.

Outcomes

In 2022, Save-On-Foods upcycled 27,450 lbs of Styrofoam. Thanks to this program Save-On-Foods has also managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 61.73 metric tonnes.

Additionally, the retailer reported positive reactions from staff and customers at its stores who were led to believe that the options for recycling or upcycling Styrofoam products to be extremely limited.

Next Steps

Save-On-Foods plans to expand this program to all its stores.