- 100% Britvic’s PET plastic bottles are fully recyclable in the UK recycling system
- Britvic removed 308 tonnes of primary plastic bottle packaging from the supply chain in 2017
Today Britvic has joined forces with UK retailers, manufacturers, recyclers and NGOs to sign The UK Plastics Pact; a pioneering agreement which aims to transform the plastic packaging system in the UK and keep plastic in the economy and out of the ocean.
The UK Plastics Pact was launched today by sustainability experts WRAP to address the growing issue of plastic waste. It is a unique and bold collaboration which brings together businesses from across the entire plastics value chain with the UK government and NGOs to set ambitious targets. Britvic is one of 42 businesses signing up to the Pact.
Matt Barwell, Chief Marketing Officer at Britvic, said: “This is an extremely important issue and we take our responsibility to help protect the environment incredibly seriously. By signing up to this Pact, we are committing to work collaboratively with our industry peers, government and the waste management sector to make meaningful and essential changes now.
“Already, all our PET plastic bottles are fully recyclable in the UK recycling system and carry the on-pack-recycling-label to encourage our consumers to recycle. In 2017 we removed 308 tonnes of primary plastic bottle packaging from our supply chain by moving products onto our new bottling lines and accessing lighter weight bottles.
“Looking to the future of packaging, we are currently trialling the use of recycled plastic (rPET) in our bottles to help us achieve our aim of significantly increasing the amount of rPET we use. At the same time, we continue to invest in R&D to investigate the use of alternative sustainable materials to package our products.”
Optimising packaging for a circular economy is an important part of Britvic’s sustainability programme, ‘A Healthier Everyday’, which puts healthier people, healthier communities and a healthier planet at the heart of its business. The programme builds on the company’s commitment to help consumers make healthier choices, support the well-being of communities, and help secure our planet’s future.
The Pact’s members have committed to hit a series of ambitious targets by 2025:
- Eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (re-use) delivery models.
- 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable
- 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted
- 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging
Marcus Gover, CEO, WRAP, said: “We are delighted to have Britvic on board as a founding member of The UK Plastics Pact. Through our first-of-a-kind Pact we will work together with governments, citizens and business to transform the way we make, use and dispose of plastic so that we retain its value, particularly in reducing food and drink waste, but prevent it from polluting the environment.”
The UK Plastics Pact, led by WRAP, is the first of its kind in the world. It will be replicated in other countries to form a powerful global movement for change as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative.
About WRAP
- First established in 2000, WRAP is a not for profit organisation which works with governments, businesses and citizens to create a world in which we source and use resources sustainably.
- Our impact spans the entire life-cycle of the food we eat, the clothes we wear and the products we buy, from production to consumption and beyond.
The Plastics Pact
The global plastics crisis requires a global solution. This is why the Ellen MacArthur Foundation is launching The Plastics Pact – a unique international network of national and regional initiatives.
The UK Plastics Pact is the first of these initiatives, and Chile will follow later this year. Each initiative will work towards a shared global vision of a circular economy for plastics – in which plastics stay in the economy and out of the environment – set out by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative.
Each Plastics Pact initiative will bring together local stakeholders, including businesses, policy-makers and NGOs, to set ambitious, time-bound, targets to eliminate unnecessary and problematic single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or alternatives; ensure all plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable; improve the collection and recycling of plastic packaging; and increase the recycled content used in plastic packaging to drive demand for recycled materials.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was established in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. Since its creation, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision makers across businesses, governments, and academia. The charity’s work focuses on five interlinking areas: insight and analysis; education and training; business and government; systemic initiatives; and communications.
The New Plastics Economy
The New Plastics Economy is an ambitious, three-year initiative to build momentum towards a plastics system that works. Applying the principles of the circular economy, it brings together key stakeholders to rethink and redesign the future of plastics, starting with packaging. The initiative is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with a broad group of leading companies, cities, philanthropists, governments, academics, students, NGOs, and citizens.