PACKAGING
DELY RECYCLABLE BY END OF 2025
We remain committed to the removal of all non-recyclable plastics and our last area for action plastic pouches for sauces and tuna - is a key focus for us ahead of our 2025 target. We are committed to using only FSC or PEFC accredited card and paper by 2025 and many of our brands have moved from plastic outer packaging to FSC card. Light weighting our packaging is an on-going process, and we continually seek to use less material and fewer materials in all our packaging. We have completed projects that will mean 488 fewer tonnes of plastic per annum in several of our 1,2 and 5 litre soft drinks and oils bottles across our branded products and many own label ones we make for our customers. Plastic reduction is not always as a result of the work of our packaging team, we are also delighted this year with the launch of ‘Quadruple Strength Squash’ which we supply in own label to two of the UKs largest retailers and our technical and Bradford site teams have played a huge role in achieving this. This reformulation of the squash will mean bottles last longer in the home and families will use several thousand fewer bottles a year.
PACKAGING LEGISLATION There are two key areas of packaging legislation we are preparing for, Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). DRS will be introduced in Scotland in 2023 and while we fully support the principle of a more circular economy, better recycling and litter reduction we remain concerned at the introduction into one country of the UK and the resulting complications of future DRS schemes being introduced into the rest of the UK, and particularly the costs this will mean for consumers. It is clear that EPR is going to result in significant additional costs for businesses and in the current economic climate this is a significant concern for Princes and the wider industry. While there remains much to be confirmed prior to its introduction it is clear that recyclability and weight will be the critical cost factors, so our approach on packaging as stated above will stand us in good stead to keep our EPR costs as low as practically possible.
TOTAL PLASTIC WIDELY
PLASTIC REDUCTION
AVERAGE RECYCLED CONTENT
RECYCLABLED
PROJECTS 2022
OF PLASTIC IN OUR PRODUCTS
488 tonnes
46.6%
97 tonnes (99.7%)
47
