UK – Nestlé UK and Ireland has joined forces with Plastic Energy, a chemical recycling company, to explore the development of a recycling plant for end-of-life plastics in the UK.
Through the new partnership, the companies will conduct a preliminary study in early November with the aim of developing the new plant and say it will take around six months to complete.
The facility would reportedly be the first commercial large-scale facility of its kind in the UK and will be used to create food-grade plastics, enabling Nestlé to increase the amount of recycled plastic that it uses in its products.
“The issue of packaging waste is one where we all have a role to play, to not only cut our use of virgin plastic, but also make sure the plastic in our packaging has a second life,” said group packaging manager at Nestlé UK and Ireland, Alison Bramfitt.
“We want to increase the amount of recycled plastic we use but there are currently real challenges in the supply of recycled content for food packaging in the UK.”
Alison Bramfitt – Group packaging manager, Nestlé UK and Ireland
“We are working hard to create a circular life span for our packaging so it can have multiple lives and uses, and partnering with Plastic Energy is just one of the ways we are taking steps forward on this journey.”
Founded in 2015, Plastic Energy uses and develops specialist recycling technology to transform traditionally hard-to-recycle plastic packaging, such as confectionery wrappers, dry pet food pouches and breakfast cereal bags, into recycled oils called TACOIL.
“We want to increase the amount of recycled plastic we use but there are currently real challenges in the supply of recycled content for food packaging in the UK,” added Alison Bramfitt.
“That’s why we are excited about the potential of this partnership with Plastic Energy. We hope the outcome of the feasibility study will help offer more insight into the options for supporting the infrastructure in recycling capability in this country.”
These recycled oils can then be used as a replacement for fossil oils to make virgin-quality plastics that can be used for food-grade packaging.
“We are excited to partner with Nestlé on this project which we hope will pave the way for brands to start incorporating more recycled content into their products. Our goal at Plastic Energy is to support a circular economy for plastics by recycling end-of-life plastics that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration,” Carlos Monreal, founder and CEO of Plastic Energy, said.
NWNA acquires Palomar Mountain Premium Spring Water
Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) has acquired certain assets from Palomar Mountain Premium Spring Water, in order to strengthen its ReadyRefresh presence in southern California.
ReadyRefresh is a delivery service which allows consumers, as well as small and large businesses, to order deliveries of still and sparkling water brands, in addition to coffee and tea products. Customers can also choose from a range of beverage dispensers and accessories.
According to NWNA, this newly announced acquisition will expand ReadyRefresh’s reach within San Diego County, Orange County, Riverside County and Los Angeles County.
“This transaction is part of ReadyRefresh’s focus on aligning its current operations to meet its future needs and positioning the company for long-term success,” said Henrik Jelert, executive vice president, ReadyRefresh.
“We look forward to welcoming Palomar Mountain Premium Spring Water employees into the ReadyRefresh family and serving our new customers.”
The news follows a similar deal announced last month, which saw NWNA acquire assets from Vista Springs Bottled Water Company in a move to expand the ReadyRefresh service in the Greater Sacramento area.
Earlier this year, Nestlé announced that it was exploring the sale of ‘the majority’ of its Nestlé Waters North America unit, including the ReadyRefresh service. The North America strategic review is still ongoing.
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