A collaboration between Saputo Dairy UK (SDUK), a producer of leading British food brands and value-added ingredients, and Wipak UK Ltd., a leading supplier of innovative flexibl e packaging solutions, has seen both companies advance their sustainability ambitions through a project which saw 33% of virgin plastic replaced with post-consumer recycled (PCR) material across a range of block cheese packaging.

“We worked closely with Saputo- who supply a number of block cheese products to leading retailer, Marks & Spencer – on more sustainable packaging options,” explained Seb Wakerley, External Sales Executive at Wipak UK. “By sourcing PCR resins, we were able to manufacture a packaging solution that repurposed waste and diverted it from landfill or incineration. Creating more circular systems for products like these is helping us as a business move closer to our goal of carbon neutrality by 2025.”

Neil Richards, Lead Packaging Manager at Saputo Dairy UK, said: “In 2020, we pledged to accelerate our global waste performance and announced clear targets to reduce our material use, increase the recycled or renewable content of our packaging and ensure that all of our packaging is either recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. This PCR project is a significant step towards helping us achieve this goal.

“Consumers are well aware of the environmental and social impacts of plastics, and, increasingly, the plastic content of a product is influencing buying habits. One of the greatest challenges to increasing the recycled content across plastic packaging is the availability of food-grade recycled plastics, so we were particularly pleased that Wipak UK was able to incorporate a PCR resin that not only preserved the look and feel of the previously used material, but maintained the integrity of the packs too.”

The PCR packs will be gradually introduced in Marks & Spencer stores, beginning in November 2021, and will be on sale for a limited time due to the availability of the PCR resin.

Richards continued: “We are excited about the emerging technologies which are making it possible for us to trial food grade PCR resins in our cheese packaging. As the technology is still in development, we expect the quantity of available material to increase in the future, allowing us to introduce PCR into a wider range of our products whilst continuing to ensure the food safety and quality of our products.”

About Saputo Dairy UK

Saputo Dairy UK is a producer of leading British food brands and value-added ingredients. It produces and sells some of the best-loved food brands in the UK, including Cathedral City, Clover, Country Life and Frylight, as well as specialised ingredients for use in infant formula. It is part of Saputo Inc., one of the top ten dairy processors in the world. For more information, please visit www.uk.saputo.com.

About Wipak UK

Specialising in sophisticated, high barrier films for food products, Wipak UK Ltd. has established its position as a market leader through continued investment in manufacturing capability, new product development, design, and the creation of an unprecedented service culture. The company is part of the Wipak Group, a leading global supplier of premium quality, sustainable and innovative flexible packaging solutions for food, medical devices and pharmaceutical products. In 2019, the business launched an ambitious strategy to be the world’s most sustainable flexible packaging supplier, committed to ZERO CO2 by 2025. For more information, please visit www.wipak.com.