BELGIUM – Sustainable packaging solutions provider Resilux has partnered with Inex, a dairy products producer based in Belgium, to improve the circularity of packaging for ultra-high-temperature milk.
The companies have collaborated to create the Rebirth series, a sustainable and circular solution that facilitates the recycling of empty, used white opaque milk bottles into new ones.
The partners have also teamed up with waste management service Fost+ to assist in sorting the collected milk bottles as a separate stream, revalorizing them, and recycling them.
The white polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are then sorted, ground, washed, and regranulated into food-grade feedstock. This process is undertaken by Resilux’s Poly Recycling division.
Compared to high-density PET bottles, the closed-loop Rebirth series has 20% to 40% less weight, according to Resilux.
In addition, Inex’s aseptic PET line offers the flexibility to switch between various bottle sizes.
To improve the ecological value and convenience for end consumers, the PET bottles are designed without an aluminum seal and can be stored horizontally without any leakage.
Resilux CEO, Dirk De Cuyper, said, “At Resilux, we believe in the power of collaboration to address the pressing environmental challenges of today and tomorrow.
“By joining forces with Inex, we have managed to develop our Rebirth series, an innovation that significantly reduces the reliance on virgin PET resources for packaging.
“This breakthrough enables us to recycle white opaque bottles into new ones without compromising on food safety or quality, while also provides optimal protection for a longer shelf life through our ResiBlock light barrier solutions.”
The partnership is part of Resilux’s People, Planet, Product strategy, which aims to collaborate with customers and stakeholders in order to develop the most effective solutions for their respective products.
In related news, One Stop and Veolia are collaborating on a system for in-store collection and bottle-to-bottle recycling. Their goal is to recycle more than 380,000 milk bottles every year.
Veolia will collect One Stop’s Own Label milk bottles from in-store vending machines and staff refreshments from the retailer’s distribution centers on a weekly basis.
These bottles will then be delivered to Veolia’s Dagenham Plastic Facility, where they will undergo a process of washing, shredding, and conversion into pellets. These pellets will be used to manufacture new milk bottles.
This closed-loop system demonstrates the commitment of both organizations to reducing plastic waste and promoting principles of a circular economy.
As part of its sustainability drive, One Stop has also made additional strides by replacing the traditional green, hard-to-recycle bottle tops on their British semi-skimmed standard milk with clear, recyclable lids.
