Nestlé Waters UK in partnership to deliver rPET made from British recycled plastic

Nestlé Waters UK has partnered with waste management firm Biffa to progress its commitment to make every Buxton bottle from 100% recycled PET by 2021.

Biffa will be supporting Nestlé Waters UK in achieving this goal by collecting recyclable PET bottles and reprocessing them in the UK into rPET.

Nestlé Waters claims that the partnership will enable it to ‘significantly’ reduce the amount of virgin plastic in circulation and lead the shift to using food-grade rPET – which is currently sourced from Europe – in the UK.

Biffa aims to quadruple its plastic recycling by 2030, and the rPET supplied to Nestlé under the partnership will come from the company’s new plastic recycling facility in County Durham.

This £27.5 million plant reportedly has the capacity to process the equivalent of 1.3 billion plastic bottles each year and will provide Nestlé Waters’ Buxton factory with recycled material from 2021.

“This is a hugely significant step forwards in achieving our commitment of making our Buxton range from 100% rPET,” said Michel Beneventi, managing director for Nestlé Waters UK.

“By working together, sharing expertise across our companies to advance PET recycling for circularity, I believe we can be a force for good, helping to create positive, long-lasting impact and change for the planet.

“Having access to a local rPET supply reduces the carbon footprint of producing, sourcing and transporting our packaging from outside the UK and demonstrates the value that plastic drinks bottles have when they are recycled.”

Nestlé Waters UK and Biffa are both members of the UK Plastics Pact.

“We are very pleased to see two of our UK Plastics Pact members embracing the spirit of collaboration on which the Pact is founded,” said Helen Bird, strategic engagement manager at the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which launched the initiative.

“It is only by working together, across the supply chain, that we can reduce our reliance on virgin plastics and bring an end to plastic pollution.”