Capri Sun Group has unveiled a recyclable, mono-polypropylene drinks pouch, expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% compared to its previous design and support the brand’s mission to adopt fully recyclable packaging.
The previous, unrecyclable Capri Sun pouch was made from laminated layers of aluminium, PE, and PET. It was already said to weigh a fifth of any comparable PET bottle.
Now the mono-PP pack claims to offer a ‘significantly lower carbon footprint than any other beverage packaging’ and, as it rolls out across Europe in the next few years, is set to remove and save ‘many tons’ of aluminium from entering landfill.
Capri Sun hopes that the pouch will complement its ambition to introduce fully recyclable packaging across its entire drinks range – thought to total over two billion pouches per year – and become ‘the most natural and sustainable kids’ drink in the world’.
Initially, its 200ml single-serve pouches of Orange and Blackcurrant & Apple will transition into the mono-PP packs in the UK.
Roland Weening, CEO of Capri Sun Group, commented: “Our new recyclable pouches will offer consumers the same convenience they know and love, but with a significantly lower CO2 footprint than any other beverage packaging.
“It forms part of our broader commitment to reducing our impact on the environment. We will continue to push our waste and energy reduction program, and we continue to wholeheartedly support the implementation of a circular economy across the whole of our industry.”
The company also points to its other sustainability-minded packaging redesigns, including its current effort to introduce 330ml recyclable pouches with a re-closable, tethered cap – a move expected to remove 14% of packaging compared to the previous cap.
Other moves include its implementation of 100% recycled PET across its bottled squash range, building upon its use of FSC-certified cardboard packaging for multipacks, and its goal of becoming carbon neutral in its manufacturing operations.
Throughout the first quarter of 2024, Capri Sun is adopting ‘stronger than ever’ paper straws across its entire range; they are said to provide 36% more bending resistance, withstand 18% more compression force, and increase vertical compression resistance by 42%.
In another pursuit of more recyclable beverage packaging, Carlsberg and Ball – who have already worked together to lightweight Carlsberg’s beer cans – have set out a joint roadmap to increase recycling rates and recycled content in each can by 2030.
Packaging Europe also spoke to Dusan Stojankic, VP Franchise Operations, GB&I at Coca-Cola Great Britain, about the company’s decision to remove plastic labels from its 500ml Sprite and Sprite Zero cans in a trial earlier this year. The company sought to streamline the recycling process by negating the need to separate packaging components before disposal.
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy:
Report: The ultimate guide to global plastic sustainability regulation
The Brief: Oxo-(bio)degradables: the who, what, and why of breaking down fossil-based plastics
Sustainable Packaging Summit: How Kraft-Heinz uses collaboration to drive innovation
The Brief: Using ocean-bound plastic in packaging – how, why and should we?
No comments yet