UK – Yeo Valley Organic has announced that its 350g and 450g tubs of yogurt will no longer be sold with single-use plastic lids, instead, reusable lids will be available via the company’s online loyalty scheme by exchanging ‘Yeokens’.
In the build-up to the change, products featured a message telling consumers that the old clip-lids were going to be removed, but that they could obtain reusable lids via the Yeo Valley Organic website.
Yeo Valley Organic’s 350g and 450g yoghurts are currently sold in Greiner Packaging’s K3 cardboard-plastic cups, which are reportedly recyclable, made from 100% recycled PET, and wrapped in cardboard made from FSC-certified material.
The packaging can be cleaned and separated into the plastics and cardboard recycling streams, respectively.
On the other hand, reusable lids are designed to be washed by hand or put in the dishwasher for the consumer to reuse.
Consumers can go to the Yeo Valley website and exchange Yeokens – earned by redeeming codes from Yeo Valley packaging – to obtain their own lid, which is set to replace the previous clip-lid design.
Yeo Valley Organic’s head of brand planning and consumer communications, Sebastian Rusu, said: “After successful trials removing clip lids from our Greek-style yoghurt range, we’re saying goodbye to plastic lids across our 350g and 450g tubs.
“Making this small change will remove 145 tonnes of plastic a year – that’s the equivalent of 188 Friesian cows, 24 African elephants or 17 tractors.”
Rusu added: “Packaging is an important aspect of our overall sustainability strategy and one where we can make a significant difference with even small changes.
“We are working to ‘close the loop’ on our packaging. We are members of The UK Plastics Pact and have made good progress on our journey to ensuring that all of our plastic packaging is perfectly recyclable and made from recycled materials.”
The move comes a few weeks after England announced plans to ban single-use plastic plates and cutlery for environmental reasons.
The ban’s expansion, confirmed by British environment secretary Thérèse Coffey, follows a consultation on the issue by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) that ran from November 2021 to February 2022.
The ban will cover plastic plates, bowls and trays used for food and drink eaten at a restaurant, cafe or takeaway but not in settings such as supermarkets and shops.
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