Recycled tray gains compostable certification

Robert Cullen Ltd, trading as Cullen Packaging, was awarded the certificate for its black and brown soft produce trays at the RWM exhibition in Birmingham last week (September 12).

The trays are produced from offcuts and waste boxes from the Glasgow-based firm’s cardboard box manufacturing operations.The boxes are made from new cardboard which, according to Cullen’s, has an 80% recycled content.

The offcuts are sent to a pulping plant where they are shredded and mixed with water. They are then moulded and baked to produce the soft produce trays.

Last year Cullen Packaging said it produced 20 million soft produce trays, although these didn’t carry the Seedling logo. The trays are used by a number of the UK’s supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and M&S.

The trays, are certified under the European Bioplastics certification scheme for products made of compostable materials. The scheme is managed by Berlin-based certification body Din Certco according to the European Standard EN 13432.

By achieving certification, the firm can display the Seedling Logo on its products signifying to customers that they can be disposed of alongside their food waste. They can then be feedstock for industrial composting projects but not in home composting, according to Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd (REAL) which is part of the Renewable Energy Association which includes the Organics Recycling Group (ORG).

Commitment

Ken Blake, manufacturing, quality and systems manager at Cullens, said: Were delighted that our commitment to the environment in producing clean technology products has been officially mandated by this certification. Our cost-effective and environmentally friendly products are designed to reduce labour costs and save space while providing superior protection.

The support and assistance from REAL and Din Certco in completing this difficult task was invaluable to us, and we would certainly proceed in the same manner with these partners for any future packaging certification requirements.

REAL assisted Cullen Packaging in interpreting the legislation and implementing the necessary procedures to comply with the EN 13432 Standard.

Greenest packaging product

Gordon Thompson, ORG technical officer for the REA, added: Congratulations to Cullens on this unique achievement. There are a lot of companies out there recycling waste materials, and a number making compostable packaging, but Cullens is the first in the UK to gain certification for doing both at once, making this arguably the UKs greenest packaging product. This is a truly innovative project which really raises the bar for resource efficiency and environmental sustainability. Lets hope it is the first of many.

Jeremy Jacobs, technical director at the REA, acknowledged Cullen’s achievement but said there was potential for confusion among residents with regards to recycling. He said it was down to the local authorities to communicate this to residents. The ORG has been working with councils to aid in this process.

Mr Jacobs said: “This is very much about encouraging the use of compostable materials which reach the standard. There is an issue in which the messaging used to communicate this to householders must be extremely clear.

“If the company that is processing the material is happy to accept compostable packaging then that is a message which the local authority needs to get across to the public. Inevitably there is potential for confusion as they have got to be able to understand what the differences are because otherwise there is an opportunity for people to throw everything in with their green and food waste, regardless of whether it is compostable.”