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The Co-operative Group has become the first UK retailer to roll out 100% recycled PET (rPET) plastic bottles across its entire range of own-brand carbonated soft drinks and mixers, thanks to the Silver Spring Mineral Water Co of Kent, the county’s oldest drinks manufacturer, which produces the Co-op drinks.

The move to 100% rPET plastic bottles for these drinks, as well as the retailer’s own-brand 330ml sportscap juice drinks, will reduce CO2 emissions by 1,212 tons and save 808 tons of new plastic per year – equivalent to the weight of 180 African elephants.

rPET bottles are made from PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic bottles saved by consumers for recycling. The bottles are cut into small pieces at recycling centres, washed and then melted into plastic granules ready to be made back into plastic bottles.

As well as being made from recycled plastic, the bottles are fully recyclable and can be collected and recycled alongside regular PET bottles.

David Hanlon, Operations Director at Silver Spring, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to be working in partnership with the Co-operative Group to bring rPET bottles to market before its competitors.

“There is a great deal of enthusiasm from consumers and retailers for a greener product, and Silver Spring with its state-of-the-art manufacturing and bottling plant is well placed to deliver this.

“Silver Spring has strong relationships with suppliers of rPET, and is easily able to meet the high demand for it from its customers.”

Customer support Iain Ferguson, Commercial Packaging Manager for the Co-operative Group, said: “Our members and customers have told us they want to see action on packaging, so we are delighted to be the first major retailer to roll out 100% rPET bottles across our carbonated drinks and mixers range.

“This follows similar initiatives by the Co-operative, such as the launch of the world’s lightest whisky bottle and the introduction of ‘naked’ cucumbers last year, when our whole cucumbers were stripped of their plastic wrapping.”

Silver Spring, which has been in business since 1870, has produced drinks for the Co-op for the past six years, and has helped the retailer develop new products and flavours.

The switch to rPET follows the launch of the Co-operative’s Food Ethical Policy earlier this year, based on a massive consumer poll.

More than 100,000 Co-op members and customers said that action to safeguard the environment was one of their top priorities, and 97% supported the group’s aim of reducing waste and increasing recycling.

The Co-operative was voted the UK’s most ethical brand in a GfK NOP poll conducted for the Financial Times earlier this year. The group was also voted “greenest grocer” in an opinion poll commissioned by the Times.

Last week (16 July) it was announced that the Co-operative Group had agreed to acquire the Somerfield store chain for £1.56billion (€1.97billion).

Somerfield operates about 880 outlets across the UK. After the acquisition, the Co-operative will operate more than 3,000 stores in total, with annual sales of about £8billion (€10billion).