Britvic has entered into a long-term agreement with Esterform Packaging for the supply of recycled plastic (rPET).
The soft drinks group stated that the deal was an “important milestone” in its sustainable business programme and would support its drive to deliver a “step-change reduction” in the use of virgin PET in its packaging.
Under the terms of the agreement, Esterform will become Britvic’s preferred supplier of rPET in the UK and Ireland. This will see Britvic providing £5m of investment support for the construction of new rPET manufacturing facilities at Esterform’s site in Sherburn in Elmet.
Britvic highlighted that there is currently a significant industry issue in accessing the quantity and quality of food-grade rPET required to satisfy demand, with insufficient capacity currently available in the UK. It stated that this deal, therefore, provides it with secure access to UK-sourced rPET and gives Esterform the security to invest in a major capital project that will enhance the UK’s efforts to create a circular economy.
Britvic has already removed more than 1,400 tonnes of primary plastic from its supply chain since 2017, with all of its PET bottles, glass bottles and cans now recyclable. The company was also a founding signatory of the UK Plastics Pact.
Britvic stated that it will also help to meet its targets by adding a recycling message to all consumer and trade advertisements.
Trystan Farnworth, Group Sustainability Director, Britvic said: “At Britvic, we are committed to making a positive difference to the world around us and our partnership with Esterform is another important step forward for our business and our efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of plastic waste.
“It provides us with a secure supply of rPET at a time when the resource is scarce in the UK, while sourcing it from this country rather than abroad has clear benefits for our carbon footprint.”
