In a major step forward for sustainable retail in South Africa, the Shoprite Group has announced the rollout of the country’s first fully recyclable 7kg potato bag—developed entirely in-house by a team of employees as part of a leadership development initiative.
The breakthrough packaging innovation is set to reduce the environmental impact of an industry staple long considered unrecyclable. Traditional potato bags are made from two layers: an outer layer and a moisture-resistant inner layer that cannot be processed by existing local recycling facilities. In 2023 alone, South Africa disposed of an estimated 18,600 tons of such bags in landfills.
Recognising this challenge, five Shoprite employees from different departments were tasked with finding a solution through an Action Learning Project (ALP) linked to a leadership programme in collaboration with the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Their objective: make the Group’s 7kg potato pockets recyclable, reusable, or compostable.
The project revealed significant supply chain and technical hurdles. Industry regulations from Potato SA require bags to have a moisture-resistant lining, and a prior Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) study had concluded that recycling this type of material would require specialised plants, each costing around R30 million.
Determined to find a feasible solution, the team consulted stakeholders across the value chain, including packaging manufacturers, recyclers, consumers, and informal waste collectors. They also explored global best practices and potential reuse options—none of which proved viable for the local context.
A pivotal breakthrough came when Billerud, a multinational paper supplier and one of South Africa’s three main suppliers of potato bag materials, joined the effort. Its research team in Sweden developed a new semi-wet-strength paper formulation specifically designed to be recyclable within South Africa’s existing infrastructure. After an initial failed attempt, the second prototype passed local recyclability tests and met all operational and technical requirements—without increasing costs.
The new recyclable bags have also passed shelf-life testing and will be rolled out to more than 1,400 Shoprite, Checkers, and Usave stores nationwide from May 2025.
The innovation will increase the proportion of Shoprite Group’s packaging that is recyclable, reusable, or compostable from 88.9% to 90%, moving the company closer to its 2025 sustainable packaging goals.
Beyond the environmental benefits, the change presents an economic opportunity. If adopted across the industry, the new recyclable bags could generate over R22 million in additional income for South Africa’s informal waste pickers, who play a critical role in the recycling ecosystem.
By tackling a long-standing problem with a locally viable solution, the Shoprite Group has demonstrated how internal innovation can drive environmental and social progress—while setting a precedent for the broader retail and packaging sectors.
