A nice example of one of the participants of the European Plastics Pact, which Dutch PET Recycling also joined. For a better carbon footprint and a circular economy!
The original article is in Dutch on https://verpakkingsmanagement.nl/nieuws
FRIESCHE VLAG SWITCHES FROM GLASS TO RPET
Coffee milk producer Friesche Vlag is switching from its single-use glass coffee milk bottles to recycled PET bottles. These rPET bottles feature a sleeve with ‘zipper’ that allows consumers to easily remove the label from the bottle so the bottles can be recycled.
‘Replacing single-use glass, a material we’ve all been recycling for years, with plastic can feel like the wrong move,’ says R&D director Patrick van Baal.
‘We know that the carbon footprint and fossil resource use of our recycled PET bottles is significantly lower than the single-use glass bottles we were using.’
In addition, the recycled PET bottles are not breakable, easy to open and pour better. It is our ambition to become fully circular with the smallest possible impact on the climate. With this introduction we are taking another good step towards our goals of using circular packaging with the lowest possible carbon footprint.’
Cap and label
The rPET bottles of Goudband and Halvamel consist of 100% recycled material. The cap and label are not made of recycled material. The rPET bottle (excluding cap and label) of Balance is made of 89% recycled material. Because Balance is a sensitive product, it is extra important to keep oxygen out of the bottle. To achieve this, FrieslandCampina adds a so-called extra ‘oxygen barrier’ to the bottle. This is why the bottle cannot yet be made from 100% recycled PET. We are continuing to work on improving this. All bottles are fully recyclable after the label – which is not recyclable – is removed and the cap is put back on,’ says Van Baal.
Objectives
One of the objectives of FrieslandCampina’s sustainability program ‘Nourishing a better planet’ is to create better packaging that is 100% circular and CO2 neutral, and in which the company minimizes the amount of packaging material. To this end, the company has also established its goals through international and national partnerships such as the European and Dutch Plastic Pact and ‘the new plastics global commitment’ of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
