UK recycling and energy recovery company Viridor will supply HDPE (high-density polyethylene) to P&G in a move that is projected to save the equivalent of 200 million bottles of virgin plastic over the five-year duration of the contract.
The companies, both founding partners of the UK Plastics Pact, say they are committed to inspiring positive action on the environment and driving circular change. Consumers will apparently see evidence of this on their supermarket shelves in P&G’s Ariel laundry product range which aims to reach up to 50% recycled content in its liquid bottles as of 2020.
P&G Purchases Group Manager Adam Selby commented: “Viridor is an established innovator in the area of sustainable packaging. This collaboration accelerates P&G’s 2030 goal to reduce our use of virgin petroleum plastic in packaging by 50%. As a founding member of The Alliance to End Plastic Waste, we are committed to helping to minimize and manage plastic waste and promote solutions like this for used plastics.”
Viridor Resource Management Managing Director Keith Trower said Viridor had been supplying P&G with post-consumer recycled material for the past three years, with volumes steadily increasing to meet P&G’s growing sustainability targets.
He said: “The true measure of success is reflected in seeing our product on supermarket shelves.
“Viridor is committed to delivering quality to the circular economy. Quality control is crucial to our recycling operations – this is how we ensure we can offer manufacturers competitive alternative circular economy stock as opposed to their sourcing virgin stock.”
Viridor’s MD of Recycling, Simon Hicks, said the company’s investment in innovative recycling infrastructure was designed to match the steadily increasing demand for recycled material.
He said: “In addition to our specialist polymer facilities at Rochester and Skelmersdale, we have invested £65m in the new recycling and reprocessing centre at Avonmouth, near Bristol, the UK’s largest multi-polymer plant. Our investment in sophisticated recycling infrastructure will not end here. We have been very clear about our commitment to investment, innovation, and collaboration to drive the circular economy in the UK, with this programme reflecting the clear preference for recycled material.”
