It is a common belief that sustainability initiatives always drive up the cost of living, yet our Own Brand Non-Food Team strives to prove otherwise –– doing the right thing for the environment doesn’t always mean compromising on cost or quality.

Before 2023, DFI’s Own Brand paper products have yet to be certified by the Stewardship Council (FSC), a non-profit global organisation dedicated to promoting responsible forest management. While we were fully aware of the environmental, social and economic benefits of switching to FSC-certified paper, we also recognised that changing our paper source may incur a higher cost, particularly as paper commodity prices had surged by 82% from 2021 to 2023.

To expand our range of sustainable products while minimizing the financial impact on both our business and customers, the team implemented three strategies to optimise the current sourcing approach. This included consolidating all Own Brand paper products across our formats to maximise profit, and retendering paper products to mitigate cost impact and ensure product quality. To further reduce costs, we reset our supplier strategy to streamline our supplier base, focus on fewer but more reliable partners, and select suppliers closer to the selling market to lower transportation costs.

Our efforts have paid off. By the end of 2023, nearly half of our Own Brand paper products were FSC-certified. But this was just the beginning. Not only have we successfully kept the price of our paper products stable, but we have also saved cost by 1.8%.

Looking ahead, we will explore the use of affordable FSC-approved bamboo paper. Fast-growing, chemical-free, and naturally anti-bacterial, bamboo paper represents a more sustainable future. Ultimately, we aim to adopt FSC-certified paper for 100% of our products by 2028, while continuing to provide affordable options to our customers and advocating sustainability in everyday life