Monday 21st March 2022
You may have noticed that our organic Single and Double creams have had a packaging upgrade! We’ve switched from our previous tubs to rPET bottles, but why have we made the switch?
Read on to find the answers to your most-asked questions about this new packaging change and for more information about how we’re tackling the impact of our packaging.
Recycling
In the UK, household plastics packaging collection recycling rates vary differently depending on your local authority. In 2019, only 85% of local authorities collected plastic tubs, compared to 100% for plastic bottles. This has inspired our packaging change to bottles.
Our previous cream tubs were made from PP plastic, which once recycled cannot be used for food or drink storage. Although the recycled plastic can be re-used to make things like garden furniture, we wanted to create more of a closed loop when it came to our packaging. Which is why we have also switched to using PET plastic to make our bottles, which can be infinitely recycled! Currently our bottled are made from 50% rPET plastic, by using recycled plastic our packaging has a lower environmental impact as we’re not having to produce plastic from scratch.
Tethered Lid
Our bottles feature a tethered lid, meaning the lid stays connected to the bottle. This ensures that all parts of the packaging are recycled! Currently caps are often separated from the bottle and put into recycling separately, but lids are too small to be processed by recycling plants so end up in landfills. By having a tethered lid, we can ensure that both the bottle and cap will be recycled! From 2024 it will be mandatory in the EU for caps to be tethered, so we’re excited to be ahead of the curve on reducing the impact of our packaging.
Food Storage
At Yeo Valley we love to hear feedback from our customers on how we can improve our products. One of the biggest comments we received on our old cream tubs was that they tipped over easily in the fridge or didn’t fit nicely in the doors. Our new cream bottles fit perfectly in your fridge, and with the tethered lid there’s little risk of spillage!
Future Plans
We know that no packaging is perfect – that is why we are experimenting with multiple formats to see what works for you as consumers and with the UKs recycling capability. Our bottles are made of plastic, but they are widely recycled and can be infinitely reused helping reduce the amount of new plastic that needs to be produced. Over the comings years we’ll be making changes to our packaging to ensure that they reflect Yeo Valley’s value of sustainability.
Find out more about how we’re reducing the impact of our packaging here.
Photo credit: Studio Whisk
Likewise – like the recycled content and thinking behind making it more recyclable. But am missing the yeokens…!
I can’t find a Yeoken on my double cream – I shall never get my 1,000 yeoens
Really not keen on the new packaging. I purchase it to make my own ice-cream and now it’s in an even smaller pot so I’m creating more plastic waste. Its’ also impossible to scrape out the last bits from the inside, especially if it’s settled and gone very thick.
I might have been converted had you made it available in a larger size. How about selling it in the 450ml yoghurt pots for people that need larger amounts?