TORONTO — Bimbo Canada, a subsidiary of Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV, has partnered with KLR Systems to transition plastic bread bag tags to compostable, cardboard bread bag clips on all its bread products, including Dempster’s, Villaggio, POM, Bon Matin, Ben’s and Stonemill.

The cardboard bread bag clips are made from 100% recycled cardboard and are compostable in municipal systems across Canada with curbside organics pickup or local drop-off, Bimbo Canada said. In addition, they have been tested over repeated use cycles at room, refrigerator and freezer temperatures to ensure the clips keep products fresh until the last bite, the company noted. The bread tags will biodegrade in 84 days.

Bimbo Canada said the transition is underway and is expected to be completed by June. Once complete, the transition will reduce the company’s single-use plastic by approximately 200 tonnes per year, Bimbo Canada said.

“It’s important we lead change and be responsible stewards of the environment, and the communities that we live and work in, by delivering results,” said Joe McCarthy, president of Bimbo Canada. “This announcement helps us fulfill our commitment to Nourish a Better World through sustainable business practices and helps us to inspire others to do the same. All changes, big or small, make an impact.”

To develop the bread bag clips, Bimbo Canada partnered with Quebec-based KLR Systems. A leader in bakery manufacturing, KLR received the Food Innovation Award from the Quebec Food Processing Council in 2021 for the carboard bread tag innovation.

“We developed this product knowing some small plastics, like bread tags, cannot always be recycled,” said Audrey Gagnon, general manager of KLR Systems. “Our goal for this innovation was to leverage local renewable resources that benefit the environment while also creating a product that consumers were familiar with using. We are excited to work with Bimbo Canada on this initiative to bring more sustainable options to people across the country.”

Bimbo Canada said the new bread bag clips have been certified by the Compost Manufacturing Alliance.

The new clips also bring Bimbo Canada a step closer to achieving its 2025 sustainability goal of having 100% of its packaging support a circular economy through being recyclable, biodegradable or compostable. In 2021, the company joined the Canada Plastics Pact and signed two Virtual Power Purchase agreements to offset 100% of its electricity consumption once fully operational in December 2022.