Abel & Cole has launched a refillable plastic milk bottle which could save the dairy industry 300,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
Its Club Zero milk product will join its growing refillable range, using packaging that will save Abel & Cole 450,000 single-use plastic milk bottles and 60 tonnes of carbon each year.
The brand said that plastic was more sustainable than glass due to the weight of glass meaning it uses more carbon.
“When it comes to packaging materials, plastic is often seen as the enemy,” said Hugo Lynch, sustainability lead at Abel & Cole. “But we challenged ourselves to ask if it was better to use glass, which is heavier and more energy-intensive to make, or to go against the grain.”
The packaging innovation took three years to develop with hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment, including a grant from Innovate UK’s Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge.
It is made from 100% polypropylene and will cut the carbon footprint of Abel & Cole’s single-use milk bottles in half after just four returns, while glass would take over 15 returns to reach a similar emissions saving.
“Club Zero Refillable Milk utilises existing packaging resource and technology, safely allows for multiple refills and is completely recyclable,” said Lynch. “There’s been plenty of trial and error along the way, but we’ve trailblazed a more sustainable way to deliver and refill milk and are proud to choose plastic. Imagine the impact we could have if the entire dairy industry made the switch too!”
Organic Refillable Milk is now available as part of the brand’s Club Zero refill deliveries.
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