MOO serves up premium yoghurt in sustainable IML packaging

Customer case MOO serves up premium yoghurt in sustainable IML packaging

Co-founders of MOO Premium Foods, Mick and Sally Sanders, have been in the yoghurt business for a long time, selling delicious dairy products made from locally sourced Australian milk. Devoted to running a sustainable business, they have recently launched their Premium Yoghurt range in IML tubs made from Ocean Bound Plastic (OBP), an initiative that is aiming to save the equivalent of almost 1.3 million plastic bottles from entering the ocean this year.

The idea for packaging with a better environmental footprint began when Mick gave a talk at a local primary school. “I was prepared for the kids to ask questions about how yoghurt was made, but instead they quizzed me about what MOO was doing in terms of sustainability,” Mick shares. “Their passion for the environment and their knowledge took me by surprise, and although we were already doing our bit, I realised we had to up our game.”

Driving sustainable packaging innovation

Based northeast of Adelaide city centre in South Australia, MOO started out as a single fresh yoghurt retail shop in 2005. Since then, the company has grown, not only to become a leading premium yoghurt brand, but also a contract manufacturer of dairy and non-dairy products for local and international businesses.

Over the past two years, the MOO team has worked closely with MCC Verstraete and converter Techno Plas to develop new sustainable packaging made from 100% Ocean Bound Plastic. OBP generates an estimated 80% of all plastic marine litter and is defined as any abandoned plastic waste found within 50km of a coastline and ‘at risk of ending up in the ocean’.

“The first step was connecting with a Malaysian company which converts OBP into food-grade plastic resin,” explains Mick. “But we wanted to go further than simply mixing in resin from reclaimed plastic, we wanted to drive packaging innovation and develop a solution that used 100% OBP. Furthermore, MCC Verstraete helped us combine the usage of OBP with the look and feel of a premium packaging.”

Supporting a circular economy

All five flavours of MOO’s Premium Yoghurt range – Strawberry, Vanilla Bean, Mango, Lemon, and Passionfruit, and the Greek Style natural yoghurt – are now sold in transparent injection molded OBP plastic tubs with in-mold labelling (IML) from MCC Verstraete, which were converted by Techno Plas. “We are proud to say that with these new tubs, made from 100% recycled plastic and being 100% recyclable, we are fully supporting a circular economy,” said Mick.

MOO and Techno Plas have a long association with MCC Verstraete and optimized the IML format to match the premium image of its yoghurts. “IML always presents a clean and professional finish on shelf,” says Mick. “And MCC Verstraete is known for making the best labels in the world. We have always trusted and relied on their professionalism and attention to detail for our products.”

“For us, it was also a pleasure being the label supplier for this unique, innovative, and sustainable packaging project,” adds Adam Stephens, Sales Manager Australia at MCC Verstraete. “We work very closely with Techno Plas and MOO, and we deeply appreciate their loyalty.”

Sustainability creates brand loyalty

The OBP project has been strongly supported by Woolworths Group, which stocks the yoghurts in supermarkets nationwide, but they can also be found in a wide range of independent retail outlets. Most recently, MOO has started exporting the yoghurts to Singapore and Hong Kong, with more opportunities opening in other countries.

Mick says, “This concept is a first in Australia for food packaging and it has definitely created a stronger loyalty towards the MOO brand. People really want to help the environment, and even buying a small tub of MOO yoghurt will help save the equivalent of nine plastic bottle caps from ending up on beaches or in our waterways.”

He concludes, “Thanks to the fantastic cooperation with MCC Verstraete and Techno Plas, who supported our dream with their technical knowhow and experience, we are leading the way in sustainable packaging, and really making a difference.”

Curious to feel and touch this label? Open your sample pack and experience it with your own eyes.

“We are proud to say that with these new tubs, made from 100% recycled plastic and being 100% recyclable, we are fully supporting a circular economy.”

Mick Sanders, Co-founder of MOO Premium Foods