The UK Government’s Resources and Waste Strategy sets out how the country will preserve material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a circular economy in England. The spotlight on household waste is inevitable since food and other packaging make up a significant proportion of what ends up in domestic refuse.
The largely media-driven ‘war on plastic’ particularly in the domestic waste stream has courted a high amount of publicity. Add the Plastic Packaging Tax, due for implementation in April 2022, into the mix and the surge in demand for plastic-reduction and rPET conversion packaging projects at PFF is understandable.
Llaeth Y Llan / Village Dairy produces branded and private label yoghurts at their farm in Wales. They were using a clear 12.5g (excluding the lid weight) PP pack for their 450g ‘big pots’ and a PP label was added separately. Whilst both were recyclable, the label was difficult to remove for this purpose. So, the business approached PFF for an alternative packaging solution that contained reduced plastic content and easier separation for recycling.
PFF recommended a recyclable 7.7g desto substitute with a plastic inlet and a card tear-strip banderol. This provided a 38% reduction in plastic content, without compromising the integrity of the pack during production, transportation, storage, on-shelf display and consumer use. The banderol can be easily removed for the recycling process. Plus, the carbon footprint of the production process was reduced as the pot manufacture and label attachment could take place at one site.
Llaeth Y Llan’s dairy can be found outside the small village of Llanefydd with striking views of the North Wales coast and Clwydian hills. The business supplies some of the UK’s largest supermarket chain warehouses with a range of yoghurts and flavours.
Company Director Gruffudd Roberts said: “We appreciate all the work PFF put into our account especially the new branding which was turned around very quickly by their art studio. We have also received positive comments from consumers regarding the recyclability of the packaging which is excellent.”
By selecting PFF as a supplier, Llaeth Y Llan has reduced the plastic content of their packs and lowered the overall carbon footprint of the production process. The result is a fit-for-purpose, easy to recycle Desto alternative. It’s a classic example of what we are typically doing, every day, at PFF.
