Weetabix has unveiled new 100% recyclable bottles for its Weetabix On the Go range of breakfast drinks, which will be introduced in the UK this month.
According to Weetabix, the new packaging took 18 months to develop, and the bottle, cap and sleeve can now all be recycled together.
The breakfast drink is now packaged in a clear PET bottle, which is made from 30% recycled plastic. A ‘100% recyclable logo’ will be displayed on the lid of the product to increase shopper awareness about the recyclability of the product.
A statement from the company claims that 92% Weetabix Food Company’s packaging is now recyclable thanks to the release of the new bottles, and the company aims to reach 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.
Emma Varlow, general manager at Weetabix On The Go, said: “Like many food manufacturers, we’re on a journey to improve our sustainability credentials. We’ve been exploring this option for a while, and 18 months ago, we decided to upweight our efforts to making a fully all-in-one recyclable bottle.
“Our main priority was food safety and ensuring that consumers can always enjoy the high-quality products they expect from us. We embarked on a journey of trials and testing various recyclable sleeves and bottle designs, but we had to be sure that any packaging innovation would keep the product fresh for its entire shelf life.
“After facing several challenges throughout the process, we’re thrilled to have made the final bottle design with 30% recycled plastic and are now considering how to bring that up to 50% or higher. We are also working on making the bottle lighter, therefore, reducing the amount of plastic used by 10% in every single bottle.”
By: Martin White
Source: Food Bev Media
The company expects to eliminate 1.2 billion tons carbon dioxide equivalent of methane emissions by the end of the decade. The company says that it already reduced its methane emissions by around 14% between 2018 and 2020.
The “first-of-its-kind” pilot project will develop and demonstrate an affordable modular bioprocessing system to produce biodegradable bioplastics from food waste diverted from landfills. The three-year grant will test the scalability and feasibility of the conversion on a national and global scale.
Arkeon is allying with specialty mineral giant ICL to support the scaling of its fermentation bioprocess that converts CO2 into the 20 proteinogenic essential amino acids needed in human nutrition. The process, hailed as carbon negative, is based on the use of archaea, a group of microorganisms that naturally feeds off the greenhouse gas.
