Packaging Waste

Reducing Packaging

Quality packaging is essential to ensure our drinks reach consumers in the freshest and most convenient way. That said, we aim to improve the sustainability of all our packaging. This has been achieved by light-weighting and increasing the amount of recycled materials we use. Our packaging initiatives are tested with consumers prior to introduction to ensure they will not negatively impact upon consumers enjoyment of our drinks.

By light-weighting our Strathmore glass bottle range during 2010/11, we have removed c.389 tonnes of glass from the packaging, or the equivalent of 1.77 million 330ml glass bottles.

We have been working with our suppliers to introduce returnable transit packaging for all glass bottle deliveries to our Forfar site. Trials have been successfully completed and all deliveries from Q1 2011/12 will use returnable transit materials, removing c.52 tonnes of corrugate packaging waste from our supply chain.

New PET bottle blowing and filling equipment installed at our Cumbernauld site has enabled a significant light-weighting programme to be rolled out across our 250ml, 500ml and 2l PET bottles. Our new light-weighted 250ml and 500ml bottles are industry leading within the carbonated soft drinks market.

*Based upon 2010 GB Volumes

2011/12 will see us carry out a redesign of the Strathmore PET bottles to enable further weight reductions in the packaging we use in this range.

We continue to investigate use of recycled PET in our plastic bottles. We have used 25% rPET in our Strathmore water bottles during 2010/11; however, due to issues with availability of rPET supply in 2010/11, we have not yet been able to make the progress we planned in rolling out rPET across all our PET ranges.

Design in Recyclability

In 2010, A.G. BARR joined the On Pack Recycling Label Scheme. This initiative, from the British Retail Consortium, provides consumers with consistent information about the recyclability of packaging.