Nestlé Waters UK harnesses Biffa’s billion bottle rPET power in circular economy deal

25 Sep 2020 --- Nestlé Waters UK is partnering with leading waste management business Biffa to deliver 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) in a closed-loop system. Biffa is supporting Nestlé Waters UK in its commitment to making every Buxton water bottle from 100 percent rPET from 2021 by collecting recyclable PET bottles and reprocessing them in the UK.

The partnership will enable Nestlé Waters UK to significantly reduce the amount of virgin plastic in circulation and drive the shift to high-quality food-grade rPET in the UK, which today is sourced from Europe.

“Currently, the UK is reasonably good at collecting PET, with around 78 percent (according to WRAP) being recovered and recycled in some way. But it can be better – that’s why Biffa is investing in green infrastructure so that the UK can recycle more plastic,” a Biffa spokesperson tells PackagingInsights.

“Our first aim is to produce the best quality UK produced rPET food-grade pellet for Nestlé. We will then continue to grow and expand our capacity to support UK recycling infrastructure, enabling greater progress towards achieving a circular economy.”

Biffa is aiming to quadruple its plastic recycling by 2030. The rPET supplied to Nestlé Waters will come from the company’s new £27.5 million (US$30.1 million) state-of-the-art plastic recycling facility in Seaham, County Durham.Buxton water wants to manufacture every bottle from 100% rPET through a closed-loop UK recycling system.

The plant can process the equivalent of 1.3 billion plastic bottles each year and supply recycled material to Nestlé Waters’ Buxton factory from 2021.

“Having access to a local rPET supply reduces the carbon footprint of producing, sourcing and transporting our packaging from outside the UK and demonstrates the value that plastic drinks bottles have when they are recycled,” notes Michel Beneventi, managing director, Nestlé Waters UK.

“Nestlé Waters has ambitious commitments to sustainability, with a pledge for all its brands to be carbon neutral by 2025. This collaboration with Biffa is a big step towards helping us achieve that and making a circular system for plastics a reality.”

Plastics: A problem material?
Plastic is a lightweight, durable and low energy-intensity packaging material that, when recycled properly, can play a sustainable role in modern life, helping to shape a waste-free, lower carbon future, Nestlé describes.

“Consumers need to understand the value of plastics and not view it as a problem material,” the Biffa spokesperson explains. “There are many positive uses for plastic and if deposited after use in the correct way, it will be collected and recycled.”

“The Government needs to reinforce the message that plastic is not bad when dealt with in the right way. The implementation of the Plastic Packaging Tax and Dry-mixed Recycling Scheme are moving the conversation in the right direction.”Biffa plans to quadruple its plastic recycling by 2030, and recently opened a state-of-the-art plastic recycling facility in County Durham.

“The focus should be on encouraging packaging manufacturers to produce packaging that is fully recyclable.”

UK Plastics Tax
Leading UK waste management authorities, including Veolia, the Environmental Services Association (ESA) and the National Association of Waste Disposal Officers (NAWDO) joined Biffa to support the proposed UK Plastics Tax as the consultation period closed.

The UK government proposed a £200 (US$263) per ton tax rate for plastic packaging with less than 30 percent recycled content that will take effect from April 2022.

“We welcome the Government’s proposed plastics Packaging Tax, which we believe is a step in the right direction to encourage manufacturers to use more recycled materials. The levy supports our strategy to invest in building the UK’s recycling infrastructure, enabling greater progress towards achieving a circular economy,” the Biffa representative tells PackagingInsights.

WRAP’s Recycle Week
The Nestlé Waters UK and Biffa partnership announced this week during the 17th year of WRAP’s Recycle Week. WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Programme) is a circular economy and resource efficiency charity.

Biffa’s plant can process the equivalent of 1.3 billion plastic bottles annually and supply Buxton’ factory from 2021.“We are very pleased to see two of our UK Plastics Pact members embracing the spirit of collaboration on which the Pact is founded. It is only by working together, across the supply chain, that we can reduce our reliance on virgin plastics and bring an end to plastic pollution,” comments Helen Bird, strategic engagement manager at WRAP.

“Using recycled plastic in the manufacture of new plastic products and packaging is the whole point of recycling, and announcements like this help give confidence to the UK recycling industry to invest in new capacity so that we can keep even more plastic in use and out of the environment.”

Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA)
Meanwhile, NWNA announced that three more of its US domestic still water brands – Ozarka, Deer Park and Zephyrhills – have converted to 100 percent rPET bottles. The rPET conversions are integral to NWNA’s pledge to achieve 25 percent rPET across its US domestic portfolio by 2021 and 50 percent rPET by 2025.

In May 2019, Nestlé Waters, PepsiCo and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe joined a consortium to bring enhanced PET recycling technology to market on an industrial scale.

This week, Coca-Cola European Partners announced that all plastic bottles across its core brands in Great Britain will now be made with 50 percent rPET. This move covers brands including Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper and Lilt.

By Joshua Poole