Fonterra’s Anchor launches New Zealand’s first plant-based recyclable milk bottles using sugarcane

08 Oct 2020 --- Fonterra’s milk line Anchor is adding a new bio-HDPE, recyclable 2 L bottle made from sugarcane to its Blue milk range in New Zealand.

The climate change impact CO2 equivalent per 2 L bottle of the bio-HDPE is approximately 1/8 that of conventional HDPE, marking a “significant improvement,” a Fonterra spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

Despite bioplastics packaging often being more expensive than fossil fuel-based plastics, the investment provides consumers with “an option to make change for good.”

“We know sustainability is important to New Zealanders. [The new bottle] lets our Kiwi consumers know they can still enjoy their fresh milk from our farmers and, at the same time, do their bit in helping tackle climate change and improving environmental outcomes.”

Initially, the new plant-based milk bottle will be available in the North Island, aiming to expand distribution and product ranging based on consumer response. Anchor will launch with 300,000 Blue 2 L bottles per month starting on October 13.

Fossil versus bio-HDPE
Arriving as an alternative to bottles made from non-renewable sources, the sugarcane used in the Anchor bottles is natural and renewable. 

Bio-HDPE’s climate change impact is reportedly 1/8 of conventional HDPE.“The molecular structure of bio-HDPE is the same as conventional HDPE, meaning they both make for a fully recyclable non-compostable milk bottle,” adds the Fonterra spokesperson.

Sugarcane captures CO2 from the atmosphere as it grows, resulting in a bottle that also has a low carbon footprint. The sugarcane is made into plant-based HDPE plastic in Brazil and the bottle itself is made in New Zealand.

“Within New Zealand, there is no scale to the manufacturing of HDPE resin, and as such, virgin resin is imported,” the spokesperson details. Currently, conventional HDPE resin is imported from Southeast Asia and the new bottle will require a similar offshore sourcing scenario for the new bio-HDPE resin.

The new bottle taps into Innova Market Insights’s fifth packaging trend for 2020, “Plant-based Packaging.” 

Largely fueled by an anti-plastic sentiment and the desire to find more eco-friendly solutions to packaging disposal, biodegradable and compostable packaging is hitting the market in higher numbers and with increased sophistication.

Fonterra’s wider sustainability strategy
Fonterra committed to making all of its packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. The new plant-based milk bottle is “just one part” of Fonterra’s wider sustainability strategy, the spokesperson notes. 

“We have also committed to moving toward renewable energy in transport and manufacturing and finding ways to manage and reduce our emissions over the whole supply chain.”

The investment in bio-based HDPE bottles comes amid Fonterra’s strategic debt reduction program. 

By Anni Schleicher