Müller Milk & Ingredients has launched a plan to cut 500 tonnes of plastic from its production of cream pots by switching to packaging made from sustainable materials.
The dairy company has converted 75% of its cream volume to rPET pots which are 100% recyclable and contain 82% recycled material.
The new cream pots have been rolled out across Müller’s 150ml and 300ml cream range and the business is currently developing packaging solutions for the remaining number of previously manufactured pots.
The FMCG giant also recently partnered with Waitrose to replace coloured milk caps on fresh milk bottles with clear caps, with Aldi currently trialling them, to enable the bottles for reuse within the food sector.
“We aim to be the partner of choice for our customers, so we are constantly looking at ways that we can help meet shared sustainability commitments,” said joint chief executive officer at Müller Milk & Ingredients, Liam McNamara.
He added: “It’s clear that shoppers want great dairy products in packaging which preserves their quality, safety and shelf life whilst reducing environmental impact.
“We are continually searching for innovative solutions to use significantly less virgin plastic. Three quarters of our cream pots now contain recycled material, and now our focus turns to finding solutions for the remaining volume.”
The news comes as M&S and Waitrose milk product sales are at risk due to HGV drivers going on strike at the Stonehouse Müller factory in Gloucestershire.
