Nampak Plastics is claiming another world first, having trialled, tested and supplied a new four-pint milk bottle containing up to 30% recycled high density polyethylene (rHDPE).
The South Africa-headquartered company – the leading producer of plastic milk bottles in the UK – says it has been able to increase the amount of rHDPE in its Infini milk bottle up to 30%, working alongside partner company Closed Loop Recycling.
According to Nampak, the move will reduce the use of virgin material in UK dairy industry by about 25,000 tonnes each year.
The sustainability breakthrough comes soon after Nampak release of a lighter Infini bottle which, weighing 32g, is said to represent a 20% material saving on the standard four-pint version found in most supermarkets.
“Since its launch in 2012, Infini has continuously been responsible for a paradigm shift in milk packaging, using considerably less virgin material and increasing quantities of recycled plastic,” says Eric Collins, Nampak Plastics managing director.
“We had a desire to increase the amount of recycled HDPE in Nampak’s bottles to up to 30% by 2015 – in line with the Dairy UK and [UK government] Defra Milk Roadmap targets. But we have been able to prove that this landmark can be reached well ahead of this schedule.”
All of Nampak’s milk bottles, including the Infini range, currently contain up to 15% recyclyed material, Collins adds, but the move up to 30% he says is a “major step forward” for the British milk industry.
Nampak estimates that there has been a 50% reduction in the carbon footprint of milk bottles produced at its British plants since 2008, saving “some 113,000 tonnes of carbon overall”.
Nampak cites recent figures from UK recycling charity Recoup showing that 77% of HDPE milk bottles are recycled, making it one of the most widely recycled forms of packaging in the country.
