Nampak Plastics [10]reports that it is set to reach a milestone in 2010, when every high-density polyethylene milk bottle it produces will include up to 10% recycled HDPE (rHDPE). The company produces approximately 2 billion milk bottles every year, meaning that approximately 7,000 tonnes (U.S.7,716 tons) of virgin material will be saved annually as a direct result of this achievement.

Among Nampak’s customers that will be using the recycled-content milk bottles are Arla Foods, Dairy Crest, Robert Wiseman, Yeo Valley, and Grahams, along with other key U.K. customers.

In order to reach this milestone, Nampak has invested in excess of £1.5 million (U.S.$2.4 million) across its seven U.K. sites. As well as the overall development of the project, this investment has included modifications to the blow-molding equipment, including the installation of new blending machines, material pipe work, and new silos to enable the use of rHDPE.

Says Eric Collins, managing director at Nampak, “Just four years ago ‘bottle-to-bottle’ recycling was unheard of in the U.K. dairy industry. Now we are adding up to 10% recycled content to all our bottles after extensive testing to ensure compliance with the extremely stringent food quality standards you would expect for this type of packaging.

“It is important to note that it is not just Nampak’s own pledge to include recycled content in its milk bottles, but also a commitment from the whole of the dairy industry via Defra’s Milk Roadmap.” [11]

“Replacing virgin material with recycled content in our milk bottles is also a significant contributor to Nampak’s continued drive to reduce its overall carbon footprint further still.”