In a major development, the latest addition to Abel & Cole’s refillables range is set to revolutionize the way milk is packaged and delivered. The innovative refillable packaging is expected to eliminate 450,000 single-use plastic milk bottles, resulting in a saving of 23 tonnes of plastic and 60 tonnes of carbon annually. This groundbreaking packaging has attracted significant investment, including a grant from Innovate UK’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging (SSPP) Challenge.
An impressive feat, the project involved three years of dedicated effort from seven expert teams, including Berry Global, Campden BRI, and key collaborators, Berkley Farm Dairy. The Club Zero Refillable Milk bottle, made from 100% Polypropylene (PP), is expected to halve the carbon footprint of Abel & Cole’s single-use milk bottles after just four returns.
Hugo Lynch, Sustainability Lead at Abel & Cole, expressed his enthusiasm for the new packaging, highlighting its ability to allow for multiple refills and its recyclable nature. He also emphasized the potential impact if the entire dairy industry were to adopt this more sustainable approach.
Nick Cliffe, deputy director of Innovate UK’s SSPP Challenge, commended the project, stating that the Club Zero Refillable Milk demonstrates the effectiveness of plastic packaging in refill applications. He emphasized the importance of making refillable packaging work for high volume everyday products, which this new packaging achieves seamlessly.
