Launching in the UK, one of Thai Union’s major markets, the group will consider rolling out Ecotwist in other countries while British consumers can find Ecotwish in all Asda stores, with other major retailers to follow soon.
Thai Union believes Ecotwist marks the “biggest packaging innovation in the UK’s ambient tuna category in the last 20 years” and is a “step change” in sustainability for John West.
Consumers can now enjoy John West’s highest-quality tuna without the hassle of any excess packaging and excess waste, the group wrote.
Paul Reenan, Thai Union’s president for Europe, noted the three years John West UK has spent developing a packaging solution designed to that set it apart in the market.
“They’ve successfully created meaningful differentiation through their sustainability leadership and by making consumers’ lives easier,” Reenan said of the team. “They’ve put their best quality tuna into an industry-leading multipack packaging format that is easy for consumers to use, store, and recycle. By establishing their own packaging line in the UK, they can now deliver products faster and more tailored to their retailers, differentiating themselves from competitors and private label brands.”
The patent-pending can tower, held together by a so-called SmartStrip, incorporates a redesigned and lighter can, packing the same amount of tuna into a smaller size, which saves over 400 tonnes of steel annually. The smaller can also reduces the amount of accompanying contents, like sunflower oil, spring water, or brine, saving an additional 1,500 tonnes of ingredients that consumers typically don’t use.
Ecotwist also eliminates packaging waste, avoiding around 65 tonnes of plastic shrink wrap or 300 tonnes of cardboard each year. British consumers can recycle the steel can with the SmartStrip attached through the UK’s kerbside recycling network.
Adam Brennan, chief sustainability officer at Thai Union, said: “Ecotwist delivers on three fronts towards our SeaChange 2030 sustainability plan. John West moves large volumes into 100 per cent sustainable packaging, bringing Thai Union closer to having all our branded products packaged sustainably by the end of next year. The weight savings deliver directly to our target of slashing our greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent across the entire supply chain by 2030.”
As part of the Ecotwist launch, John West will add even more MSC-certified products to its range, delivering towards Thai Union’s Tuna Commitment that dictates that all tuna must be either MSC-certified, in MSC-assessment, or in a credible Fishery Improvement Project by 2025.
By the end of last year, 85% of all tuna Thai Union sourced met these requirements.
All John West ‘no drain’ Ecotwist products are already MSC-certified and the Company plans to have their entire Ecotwist range MSC-certified by the end of 2025. They have the ambition to have their entire tuna portfolio MSC-certified to become the most sustainable ambient seafood brand in the UK.
John West said it leads the market with the highest number of MSC-labelled products in Great Britain, ahead of all other brands and the retailers’ own brands.
