Brands unveil sustainability milestones as Recycle Week unfolds

With environmental charity WRAP celebrating its annual Recycle Week this week (21–27 September), major food and drink brands have unveiled their sustainability milestones in support of the initiative.

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) said plastic bottles across all its core brands made in Britain are now made with 50% recycled plastic (rPET).

The firm said the milestone marks an important step towards Coca-Cola’s global commitment to use 50% recycled material in all bottles and cans by 2030.

Stephen Moorhouse, general manager at CCEP Great Britain, advocated for a ‘well-designed’ deposit return scheme in the UK, saying there’s isn’t enough food-grade recycled plastic locally available in the UK to switch to 100% rPET across their entire range.

“There needs to be more high-quality recycled plastic produced, so it’s vital to make sure we collect more bottles in an efficient way, and stop it ending up as waste,” he said.

“Although all our bottles have been 100% recyclable for many years, too many are still not being recycled. That’s why we support the introduction of a well-designed Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), consistent across Great Britain and coupled with investment in infrastructure.”

The latest move will covers brands including Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper and Lilt with rest of the company’s portfolio following later in the year.

The bottles will carry new labels notifying consumers of the change and encouraging them to recycle the bottle.

PepsiCo said it has made a number of significant steps towards their global sustainability goals despite the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pepsi MAX is an official supporter of Recycle Week this year, alongside the bottling partners Britvic.

Earlier this year, the company launched new Doritos STAX range, which is packaged in a recyclable triangular tube.

Naked is currently the only juice or smoothie brand sold in UK supermarkets that comes in bottles made from recycled plastic. The brand’s new labels call out the 100% recycled plastic bottles message to appeal to sustainability-conscious consumers.

Highland Spring Group is another company that has been stepping up the use of recycled plastic.

The leading producer and supplier of natural source waters is all set to trial 100% recycled materials (rLDPE) in shrink wrap.

The company said it will introduce the 100% rLDPE wrap to the market if the testing is successful. It has called for the wider capture of shrink wrap to harness the benefits of its commercial viability and to increase the availability of recycled materials.

“We believe these trials underline our commitment to innovation in environmental sustainability as part of our journey to increase the use of recycled materials in our packaging,” said Simon Oldham, chief commercial officer at Highland Spring Group.

“We need local authorities, the public and retailers to support recycling of this material and hope through demonstrating leadership in this area, we can accelerate structural change in the UK market.”

The business said it also remains focused on introducing more rPET into their bottles, with an aim to ultimately reach 100% rPET across all Highland Spring and retailer branded products.

Danone’s mineral water brand evian has also announced the introduction of new recycled bottles in its portfolio.

Made from 100% rPET, the ‘Bottle made from Bottles’ range is now widely available in the UK.

“This is an important milestone on our sustainability journey. Despite the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, we are determined to become part of a solution to tackle environmental issues on a global scale,” commented Shweta Harit, VP of marketing at evian.

Already carbon neutral, evian is committed to become a fully circular brand by 2025, making all of its plastic bottles from 100% rPET.

When plastic is recycled and turned into a new bottle, it reduces carbon emissions in production by up to 50 per cent compared to bottles made from virgin plastic.

Now in its 17^th year, WRAP’s Recycle Week encourages the public to recycle more, demonstrating the benefits of recycling items from all around the home.