Arla reducing plastic through lid change

And now the European dairy cooperative has created a more durable pot, with 40% less plastic, which reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 30%, or 440 tonnes, on an annual basis.

“At Arla, we are determined to reduce our environmental impact, and sustainable packaging is an important part of the solution,”​ Lise Berg Kildemark, director of sustainable packaging at Arla said.

“Last year, we converted more than one billion packages into more durable materials across Europe. With our new pots we are taking the next step. We have minimized the use of plastics and reduced the use of fossil-based materials.”​

The reduction in carbon dioxide is mainly due to a reduction in plastic consumption through replacing the lids with those made from renewable cardboard. Each pot has 16g less plastic than the previous packaging, and the tub and lid are 100% recyclable.

This plastic saving of 40% corresponds to 270 tonnes of plastic per year.

“Using less plastic is an important part of Arla's packaging strategy. In Sweden, 50% of packaging material will come from recycled material by 2022. The new pots are a big step towards achieving our goals,”​ Karin Armgarth, who is responsible for sustainability communication at Arla in Sweden, said.

Initially, the changes will be made to quark and skyr pots in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.