The partnership — first implemented in 2008 — sees Biffa supply Nampak with food-grade recycled plastic in the form of pellets, sourced from its HDPE recycling facility in Redcar.
This is used by Nampack for the manufacturing milk bottles, ensuring bottles produced by Nampak can contain up to 40% recycled plastic, all supplied by Biffa.
Nampak Plastic Europe says it holds a 34% market share of the available UK milk bottle market, and describes itself as a “market leading manufacturer and packaging supplier to the UK dairy sector of high density polyethylene (HDPE) bottles”.
Chris Hanlon, commercial manager at Biffa Polymers, said: “We’re pleased to be extending our successful long-term relationship with Nampak Plastics Europe. Biffa is playing a critical role in pioneering closed-loop plastic recycling in the UK and we are delighted to be working with Nampak to support the development of sustainable packaging solutions.”
Capacity
The extension follows Biffa’s commitment to quadruple its plastics recycling capacity by 2030, as well as opening its first phase of a new £27.5 million rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) recycling facility in Seaham in January.
The Group has also confirmed a further £7m investment in nearby Washington in a plant to process plastic pots, tubs and trays.
Biffa first partnered with Nampak through the UK’s Dairy Roadmap, a scheme designed to unite the dairy industry’s partners to produce fully recyclable plastic milk bottles.
Biffa said that it has reprocessed over three billion HPDE milk bottles over the last decade and 85% of milk bottles in the UK now contain Biffa material.
Nampak Plastics Europe, added: “We’re delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with companies like Biffa, as recycled material will play an ever-important role in the years to come in helping us provide better and more sustainable plastic bottles.”
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