Pladis UK&I to ditch non-recyclable black plastic

Pladis UK&I has announced that it is eliminating non-recyclable black plastic from its on-shelf product portfolio as part of a package of new sustainability measures.

Pladis-produced black plastic will be removed from the UK market by June, with the last black plastic trays having been manufactured in December last year.

“As part of our commitment to the UK Plastics Pact, we’ve been working hard to transition our rigid plastic trays from black to recyclable cloudy rPET, which contain a minimum of 30% recycled content,” said Sylvain Cuperlier, head of sustainability at Pladis.

“We’re pleased to announce that the last black trays were produced in late December and we will complete this transition by the summer, after which there will be no more Pladis-produced black plastic in the market. This will save 80 million plastic trays from landfill every year.”

Scott Snell, vice president of customer at Pladis UK&I, added: “In 2018, we set out our ambition of making all of our plastic packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

“Our plan to remove black plastic from our entire on-shelf portfolio by summer 2021 illustrates our commitment to making our packaging more sustainable and is one of many great strides we’ve made in this area. We’re pleased to confirm we’re on track to hit our targets, plus make a real impact long term.”

Pladis’s new sustainability measures, which come just over two years after the company’s commitment to the UK Plastics Pact, also include the elimination of all PVDC film by June this year.

The company has already removed 35% of the film – cited by the Pact as a ‘problematic plastic’ – and increased the amount of ‘recycle-ready’ monopolymer film used across the business.

Pladis has also pledged a continued commitment to prioritising the development of sustainable packaging solutions across bestselling lines.

Such changes can help reduce CO₂ emissions from transportation, with the company claiming to have already achieved savings of 127 tonnes per year through changes to its Jacob’s Mini Cheddars outer packaging.