The announcement comes as the company releases its 2021 Sustainability Report.
Weetabix Food Company said it is on track to make 100% of its packaging recyclable ahead of the 2025 deadline set by WRAP for the UK Plastics Pact.
Key changes in the works for Weetabix this year includes the launch of “an improved, widely recyclable paper wrap” across all its biscuits, including Weetabix Original, Flavours and Protein. The new paper wrap is reported to have a much smaller carbon footprint, delivering a 20% reduction in emissions compared to the existing packaging.
The Northamptonshire-based cereal firm is also set to transition the Protein line of its Weetabix On the Go breakfast drinks to the widely recyclable PET bottles it introduced last year. Weetabix said the new bottle will be 51% recycled content (rPET), reducing the company’s carbon footprint by 7%.
In a further move towards reducing its overall carbon footprint, Weetabix has also agreed a deal with UK-based green energy supplier Smartest Energy to supply factories with certificate-backed natural renewable energy, generated by wind, solar and waterpower.
The company has also invested in a capex project to capture and reuse water that becomes steam during its manufacturing process, aiming to save over 1 million litres of water annually.
John Petre, head of supply chain and technical at Weetabix Food Company, who heads up the firm’s sustainability work, said: “Ultimately, all our packaging decisions are based on whether they reduce our overall carbon footprint. Since food waste is a big contributor to carbon emissions and environmental damage, our concern is always to balance packaging innovation against that risk.”
