Press release -
Müller secures long term partnership with Biffa to drive down plastic use
Müller has secured a long term partnership with Biffa, which allows the dairy company to meet increased demand for packaging made from recycled materials.
With demand for food grade recycled High Density Polyethylene (rHDPE) currently outstripping supply, the agreement will see Biffa continue to supply the recycled material that is used to make the dairy company’s fresh milk bottles.
Müller’s rHDPE fresh milk bottles are already 100% recyclable, and following substantial investment by the dairy company to enable it to manufacture its own fresh milk packaging, up to 40% of the plastic can be made from recycled material.
Müller is continuing to drive down its use of plastic and in 2019, following an innovative lightweighting exercise, managed to remove a further 840 tonnes of plastic per annum from its fresh milk packaging.
The business recently became the first dairy company in the UK to offer fresh school milk with paper straws, and has committed to removing all plastic straws from its products in 2020.
Brendan Power, Commercial Director at Müller Milk & Ingredients said:
“We are more positive about the future because we’re turning our fresh milk business into a lean, agile and customer centric operation.
“Our customers have made commitments to use an average of 30% recycled content in their plastic packaging, and consumer demand for innovative solutions continues to grow. We’re listening and aligning to their needs.
“Most of our packaging is made on site, not trucked in from elsewhere. So with this long term supply agreement, and our unique capability to pursue further inhouse innovation, we are able to offer our customers a leading plastics proposition.”
Chris Hanlon, Commercial Manager at Biffa Polymers said:
“We are delighted to help Müller improve its usage of high-quality food grade recycled plastic. We are a trusted partner for dairy manufacturers and are committed to supporting them achieve their sustainability targets with innovative, industry leading technologies.”
Topics
Müller UK & Ireland is wholly owned by Unternehmensgruppe Theo Müller which employs 24,000 people throughout Europe. In the UK, Müller develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of branded and private label dairy products made with milk from more than 1,600 British farmers.
The Müller brand is ranked at No.9 in The Grocer’s Top 100 list of Britain’s Biggest Brands, and is also the 8th most chosen brand in the UK, picked from shelves more than 217 million times each year. Müller UK & Ireland comprises three business units:
Müller Milk & Ingredients is Britain’s largest producer of branded and private label fresh milk, cream, butter and ingredients products, with a network of dairies and depots servicing customers throughout the country.
Müller Yogurt & Desserts is the UK’s leading yogurt manufacturer responsible for major brands like Müllerlight, Müller Corner and Müller Rice. It produces chilled desserts under licence from Mondelez International and supplies the UK private label yogurt market from a dedicated, state of the art yogurt facility.
Milk & More delivers daily essentials to more than 500,000 homes in England, via a network of 53 local fulfilment centres. The milkman is arguably the original home delivery service and Milk & More is ensuring that this great British tradition continues to flourish.
Müller is an Official Supporter of British Athletics and Athletics Ireland. With branding and activation rights for five events in 2019, Müller aims to empower consumers to make active and healthy lifestyle choices.
For further information, see Müller Now, our first ever industry report.
