Lewis Road is the first milk producer in the country to change to rPET bottles, which are made from entirely recycled plastic.
The company said it means no new plastic is created to produce the bottles, which can then be continuously recycled.
The switch to rPET for its 750ml and 1.5-liter bottles will save approximately 210 tonnes of plastic being produced and imported into New Zealand each year. Lewis Road says the change will account for 80% of the plastic it uses.
Transition complete by September
Lewis Road founder Peter Cullinane, said, “We know the dairy industry uses a lot of plastic and we want to take responsibility for our share of that. We want to move quickly and do something now, so changing to a recycled plastic that can be recycled again and again is our first step.”
As part of a wider packaging review, Lewis Road has also become the first dairy company to sign up to the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration, committing to more sustainable packaging solutions.
“We love fresh milk, but not fresh plastic. We believe bottles that require no new plastic are a great step,” Cullinane said.
“And we’re closely assessing the feasibility of other options too, including glass. Longer term, we believe the answer will be a mix of solutions including both rPET and glass. The good news is that we can take this big step immediately and then keep going.”
Lewis Road’s 750ml and 1.5 liter white and flavored milk bottles will start to transition to rPET bottles from August 27, with the changeover expected to be completed by September 17.