FT Weetabix On The Go Core

Breakfast drink Weetabix On The Go has redesigned its bottles to make them 100% recyclable so that the bottle, cap and sleeve can now all be recycled together – ensuring it’s a quick, easy and convenient way to recycle.

After 18 months in development, the breakfast drink has also moved to a clear PET bottle, which is made from 30% recycled plastic. Rolling out from this month, a ‘100% recyclable logo’ will be displayed on the product’s lid to increase shopper awareness.

The move to a 100% recyclable bottles is one of a number of recent sustainability initiatives from the Weetabix Food Company. At present, 92% of its packaging is recyclable, with the target of reaching 100% recyclable by 2025.

Emma Varlow, general manager at Weetabix On The Go, said: “Like many food manufacturers, we’re on a journey to improve our sustainability credentials. We’ve been exploring this option for a while, and 18 months ago, we decided to upweight our efforts to making a fully all-in-one recyclable bottle. Our main priority was food safety and ensuring that consumers can always enjoy the high-quality products they expect from us. We embarked on a journey of trials and testing various recyclable sleeves and bottle designs, but we had to be sure that any packaging innovation would keep the product fresh for its entire shelf life.

“After facing several challenges throughout the process, we’re thrilled to have made the final bottle design with 30% recycled plastic and are now considering how to bring that up to 50% or higher. We are also working on making the bottle lighter, therefore, reducing the amount of plastic used by 10% in every single bottle.”

The roll out of the new bottles will also see the launch of a new social media campaign to encourage people to recycle at home and when on the move.