Müller skims off 500 tonnes of virgin plastic annually with new cream pot

Müller Milk & Ingredients is to remove 500 tonnes of virgin plastic from its annual production of cream pots by switching to packaging made from recycled plastic.

The dairy company has converted 75% of its cream volume to rPET pots which are 100% recyclable and contain 82% recycled material.

The new rPET pots, which are supplied by Faerch, have been rolled out across Müller’s 150ml and 300ml cream range, across both its brand and private label offering. The business is currently developing packaging solutions for the remaining volume for 2023.

Müller’s fresh milk bottles have been 100% recyclable for many years and contain 30% recycled material. The dairy company also recently partnered with Waitrose to replace coloured milk caps on fresh milk bottles with clear caps, with Aldi currently trialling them, to enable retention for reuse within the food sector.

Liam McNamara, joint chief executive officer at Müller Milk & Ingredients said the company is constantly looking at ways to meet sustainability commitments.

“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,” he said.

“Three quarters of our cream pots now contain recycled material, and now our focus turns to finding solutions for the remaining volume.”

Mark Tollman, group strategic sales director at Faerch said the partnership with Müller helped bring about the new range of recycled pots to the UK cream market.

“We have worked closely with the Müller team to ensure the product had the highest level of recycled content possible, whilst maintaining the overall performance of the packaging through the supply chain. We look forward to working with the Müller team in creating solutions for the remaining volume,” Tollman said.

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