Building on its existing cooperation with US foodservice packaging producer Pactiv (Lake Forest, Illinois; www.pactiv.com), global restaurant chain Subway (Milford, Connecticut / USA; www.subway.com) recently announced that all its salad bowls and lids are now made of 95% post-consumer recycled materials, mostly from PET soda and water bottles. Thanks to the switch, Subway will keep almost 2,000 t of plastic from hitting the landfill, the group said. The new bowls and lids will be used in most of the chain’s more than 36,000 establishments worldwide.

Commenting on the new sustainability initiative, Subway packaging technologist Michael Fox said, “We have worked with Pactiv over the years to redesign our salad bowls to use less plastic material while still holding the same amount of food. Using recycled materials, and reducing the amount of new virgin plastic, allows us to create a more sustainable product that works just as well as its predecessor. And we are able to do this without increasing costs.” Subway said it is looking at additional pieces of packaging that can be produced in the same manner.