1 minute read
Weetabix Food Company
by 55 North
SUSTAINABILITY
Weetabix to reach packaging milestone by summer 2022
The company is set to unroll an improved, widely recyclable paper wrap across all its biscuits.
Weetabix Food Company will hit the milestone of 99% of its packaging being widely recyclable by summer 2022. The company is on track to make 100% of its packaging recyclable ahead of the 2025 deadline set by Wrap for the UK Plastics Pact.
Key changes in the works for Weetabix this year include transitioning the Protein line of it’s On the Go breakfast drinks to the widely recyclable PET bottles it introduced last year. The company has invested in extensive trials to ensure the clear PET bottle is able to keep the nutritional properties of the drink from deteriorating in sunlight. The new bottle will be 51% recycled content (rPET), reducing its carbon footprint by 7%.
The cereal firm is also set to unroll an improved, widely recyclable paper wrap across all its biscuits, including Weetabix Original, Flavours and Protein. The innovation successfully balances the need to keep the cereal fresh throughout its shelf life with the need to be recyclable at kerbside. The improved paper wrap also has a much smaller carbon footprint, delivering a 20% reduction in emissions compared to existing packaging.
John Petre, Head of Supply Chain and Technical at Weetabix Food Company, said: “Facing down this milestone of reaching 99% recyclable packaging is a huge testament to the hard work of the team. At this stage all the low-hanging fruit is long gone and the decisions that remain take a lot of hard work and dedication to get the innovations right.”
The news comes as Weetabix publishes its 2021 Sustainability Report, which details progress on all sustainability commitments to date, such as continuing to source all wheat for Weetabix Original within a 50-mile radius of its mills in Northamptonshire and agreeing a deal with UK-based green energy supplier Smartest Energy to supply factories with natural renewable energy.
