"This process has now been recognised by the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who have granted the rHDPE process a non-objection status. Their approval of the rHDPE process for use as liquid food packaging is a milestone for the use of recycled plastics"
Dr Paul Davidson, Plastics Technology Manager at WRAP
A glass bottle and a plastic bottle scooped four awards last night at the 2007 Starpack Packaging Awards, held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham.
The Starpack Awards commend innovation across consumer and industrial packaging markets and materials. As the UK packaging industry’s most prestigious awards, Starpack aims to help raise packaging standards in the UK by recognising and encouraging creativity.
This year’s awards attracted over 300 entries across 15 different categories.
Environmental considerations and the importance of sustainability were key judging criteria across all categories at the awards.
The Best Innovation to Reduce Waste Award sponsored by WRAP.
The Gold Star went to a lightweight glass bottle from Adnams and Owens-Illinois (O-I).
Adnams launch of the lightest 500ml glass bottle in the ale category followed investment in its award-winning distribution centre built to high environmental specifications. Adnams also partnered the University of East Anglia's Carbon Reduction team to reduce its carbon footprint across the business.
Owens-Illinois pioneered the dramatic improvement in weight through its narrow neck press and blow manufacturing technology. For added glory the bottle was also the winner of the Gold Star for Best Innovation in Glass Packaging.
Best Use of Innovative Materials
A fine example of the closed loop, utilising post-consumer HDPE waste converted back into milk packaging, took the Gold Star in Best Use of Innovative Materials, sponsored by Abbey Corrugated.
Dr Paul Davidson, Plastics Technology Manager at WRAP
The groundbreaking rHDPE project to develop recycled high-density polyethylene milk bottles, was funded by WRAP and delivered by the core project team of Nextek, Nampak and Dairy Crest.
HDPE recycling technology allows milk bottles to be collected from the kerbside and recycled into food grade HDPE resin. The milk bottles, which use 30% post-consumer waste, have been tested extensively and passed all EU, UK and consumer tests. The move to introduce recyclate to all Dairy Crest's standard HDPE milk bottles will save 5,500 tonnes of waste.
However if the whole dairy industry followed it would save 39,000 tonnes of virgin material by using rHDPE in the 130,000 tonnes of plastic milk bottles used in the UK.
Again the close loop-recycled milk bottle was also a double winner, taking the Bronze Star in Best Innovation to Reduce Waste.
A large-scale trial was completed as a part of this project and during December 2006, Marks & Spencer used 60,000 four-pint milk bottles for its milk. Following the success of the trial, Marks & Spencer are now selling its organic milk in bottles that have 10% recycled content.
Packaging containing recycled material has to meet the same high specifications as virgin materials, and the milk bottles containing 30% recycled HDPE were rigorously tested and passed to all UK, EU and consumer tests.
Comments
Commenting on the plastic bottle awards, James Tunney, Customer Marketing Manager at Dairy Crest PLC, said:
“This project clearly demonstrates that milk bottles containing recycled material can be as good as 100% virgin bottles in terms of safety, production, filling and transportation. We also received very positive consumer responses to the recycled content packaging.”
Dr Paul Davidson, Plastics Technology Manager at WRAP, said:
“This process has now been recognised by the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who have granted the rHDPE process a non-objection status. Their approval of the rHDPE process for use as liquid food packaging is a milestone for the use of recycled plastics.”
“This proven technology will significantly enhance the future of plastics recycling in the UK. We believe that milk bottles containing recycled plastic will become the widely practised and innovative method used to improve the environmental footprint of plastic milk bottles”.