FrieslandCampina packaging director: Glass to plastic bottle transition “may feel wrong” but reduces CO2

12 Oct 2021 --- FrieslandCampina is replacing single-use glass bottles with recycled PET (rPET) bottles for its Friesche Vlag coffee creamers. 

“Replacing single-use glass, a material we have recycled for years already, with plastic may feel wrong. However, we know the CO2 footprint and use of fossil resources for our rPET bottles is significantly lower than the single-use glass bottles we used in the past,” explains Patrick van Baal, global director packaging development at FrieslandCampina. 

According to Innova Market Insights, 60% of global consumers believe glass performs “well” or “excellently” when it comes to recyclability, in contrast to 46% indicating the same about plastic.

However, although plastic pollution concern is undiminished, it is increasingly viewed as one of several environmental issues overshadowed by climate change. Getty Images identified climate change as the top public issue in 26 countries – above even COVID-19 – using its creative insights platform Visual GPS.

“Besides, the rPET bottles are unbreakable, easy to open and pour better,” adds van Baal. “It is our ambition to become completely circular and minimize our impact on the climate. With this introduction we take another step in the direction of our objective of using circular packaging with a minimal CO2 footprint.”

The Balance PET bottle (excluding caps and sleeves) consists of 89% recycled material. Recycled plastics accessible via established circular economies are increasingly integral in fighting climate change. A 2017 Alpla study found rPET produces 79% lower CO2 emissions than virgin PET.

The new Friesche Vlag portfolio will include 140 mL, 300 mL and 500 mL PET bottles. The 455 mL and 929 mL carton packaging formats, and its “standard cups,” will remain.

Not 100% just yet
Excluding caps and unrecyclable sleeves, the Goudband and Halvamel PET bottles in the Friesche Vlag line will be made from 100% recycled material, while the new Balance bottles will consist of 89% recycled material. 

“As Balance is a sensitive product [made with 0% fat], it is all the more important to make sure no oxygen can enter the bottle. To establish this, we add a so-called extra ‘oxygen barrier’ to the bottle. This is why the bottle cannot be made from 100% rPET yet,” says FrieslandCampina.

The Dutch dairy giant plans on continuing work to improve the Balance bottle’s oxygen barrier. Its R&D department also developed a “zipper” solution for easily removing the bottle’s sleeve to facilitate recyclability.

Zipping details
FrieslandCampina initially committed to the PET switch for all its drinking bottles in 2016. The company switched to fully rPET bottles for its Fristi, Chocomel, Yazoo and Pöttyös dairy beverages in early 2021. 

At the time, Van Baal told PackagingInsights the new rPET bottles should feature a zip-and-tear for undressing the bottle label to make separation easy for consumers. 

“If we become more dependent on consumer behavior to remove the sleeve, then it must be very easy,” he noted. 

In related developments, Greiner Packaging showcased its new self-separating cup innovation at FachPack 2021. The K3 r100 cup is a cardboard-plastic combination delivering enhanced recyclability with an easy-to-detach tear-off system. Significantly, if consumers choose not to utilize the tear-off system, the cup’s cardboard sleeve detaches by pressure at recycling centers. 

By Anni Schleicher

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