Berry Global Group Inc. and sustainable and organic food delivery service Abel & Cole Ltd. are reimagining how milk is delivered in the United Kingdom by introducing a refillable bottle made from polypropylene.
Using the PP bottle allows for containers to be cleaned and reused up to 16 times before they need to be retired and recycled.
Club Zero Refillable Milk bottles need to be reused four times to beat the carbon footprint of a single-use glass bottles by half, Abel & Cole said. Compared to using single-use plastic bottles, the refillable milk container program can save an estimated 450,000 containers from disposal each year, according to the companies.
"When it comes to packaging materials, plastic is often seen as the enemy," said Hugo Lynch, sustainability lead at Abel & Cole, in a statement. "But we challenged ourselves to ask if it was better to use glass, which is heavier and more energy-intensive to make, or to go against the grain."
Berry designed the bottle to best use Abel & Cole's eight-stage cleaning process. This process eliminates a drying stage that reduces the risk of bacterial contamination. After the washing process, the bottles are sent to a clean room for refilling.
The bottles do not have a handle, a design that eliminates so-called "trap points" where bacteria might gather. This also allows for easy drainage, the companies said. The bottles were designed to utilize Abel & Cole's existing filling equipment and delivery crates.
They were also engineered to utilize the existing low-density polyethylene caps that Abel & Cole uses on milk bottles.
Using the companies' estimate of saving 450,000 single-use plastic bottles each year, the plastic savings equals 25.3 tons (23 metric tons) annually.
Berry's work in developing the reusable PP bottle included testing to ensure the strength and durability needed with high temperatures during milk processing.
Even the bottle's labels help communicate the recyclability and lifespan of the bottles. Labels will start to degrade once they have been used up to 16 times, providing visual evidence to track and recycle each bottle when needed. There is also verbiage aimed at customers to encourage the return of empties.
"We are committed to delivering innovative, reusable packaging solutions that help our customers make transformative leaps toward their sustainability goals," said Sue Springett, senior marketing manager for the Berry Agile Solutions line of business. "Through circular partnerships like these, we unpack complexities and help our customers understand what's possible for the plastic substrate."