KFC trying bamboo to replace single-use containers

VAUGHAN, Ontario – KFC Canada is testing a bamboo fiber poutine bucket in early 2020.

Although bamboo is a new innovation to packaging, it has been used throughout history for many applications, from food sources to building materials. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, growing on average 24 inches per day and reaching its adult size in three to five years (compared to 20 to 30 years for trees).

Often referred to as one of the world’s most renewable and fastest growing materials, bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial and 100 per cent biodegradable, requires no pesticides, and regenerates itself very quickly when harvested.

KFC Canada’s bamboo packaging initiative builds on the commitments already achieved by the brand in the sustainable packaging realm. Earlier this year, KFC Canada committed to sourcing 100 per cent of fiber-based packaging from certified or recycled sources by 2020.

Additionally, as part of a global sustainability commitment by the brand, KFC Canada continues to pursue making all plastic-based, consumer-facing packaging recoverable or reusable by 2025, and announced in July that all plastic straws and bags would be removed from restaurants before the end of 2019.  This action alone will eliminate more than 50 million plastic straws and 10 million plastic bags from the communities in which KFC Canada operates.

The new bamboo fiber poutine bucket will be used in select restaurants across Canada in 2020.