UK – British dairy processor, Müller has committed to removing all plastic straws from its products by 2020, as part of the company’s continued efforts to drive down plastic use.
To actualise the new sustainability ambitions, Müller has launched a new paper straw made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paperboard, which was developed in partnership with Tetra Pak over the last 18 months.
Müller has also partnered with Sunnyside Primary School in Glasgow to trial the new paper straw. The company added that it is also undertaking further trials on the fully recyclable paper straws at its Bridgwater site.
If successful, Bridgwater will begin the permanent roll out of the paper straws by the end of March 2020. Müller’s other school milk producing sites would follow by the end of 2020, which is estimated to eliminate 48 tonnes of plastic every year.
Charles Brand, President of Tetra Pak Europe & Central Asia said: “It is important that we launch a sustainable paper straw that is fully functional, recyclable and does not compromise on food safety.
“We also recognise our responsibility to provide sustainable solutions to our customers that will enable us, as a collective, to move towards a low carbon circular economy.
“We believe this trial is a fantastic way to truly test and receive feedback, and it’s great to receive such a positive reaction to using the new paper straws.
“We are happy to work together with Müller to roll out paper straws and help them realise their commitment to drive down plastic.”
The move builds Müller’s previous efforts on reducing plastics across its products, which has seen the company eliminate 10,000tonnes of plastic from Müller Milk bottles since 2016.
Müller said that its fresh and flavoured milk bottles are 100% recyclable, and having secured appropriate supplies of recycled HDPE, up to 40% of the plastic in Müller’s fresh milk bottles is made from recycled material.
Gareth Budd, Head of Customer Innovation at Müller Milk & Ingredients said:
“We’ve already removed 10,000 tonnes of plastic from our packaging in recent years, our fresh milk bottles are 100% recyclable, and they contain up to 40% recycled material.
“But to ensure that future generations continue to benefit from the goodness of fresh school milk, we recognise the need to continually innovate and update our packaging.
“The pupils at Sunnyside Primary School have a real passion for positive change, and were an inspiration.
“We thank them for their valued participation in the trial, and now we’re fully focused on removing all plastic straws from our school milk by the end of 2020.”
