Our sustainable packaging

At Burns Pet Nutrition, we strive to produce our food in the most sustainable way we can. This includes how the food is produced but also the type of packaging that we use. Rather than seeing it as an end target, there will always be changes we can make to improve our environmental impact and reduce our carbon footprint.

The sustainable packaging industry has changed a lot over the past decade and has come on in leaps and bounds, leaving us optimistic about what the future holds for our own recyclable packaging journey.

Why is it so difficult to find the perfect packaging?

Changing to a new type of packaging can be a lengthy process but when a more sustainable option is available, it’s time to make improvements. Packaging food has its own unique considerations in thatthe safety and quality of the plastic is paramount. Not only does the packaging need to fit our requirements, but it also needs to be:

• Food-safe
• Suitable to carry the weight of the food
• Last the time needed to house the food
• Durable enough to avoid damage.

It’s developments in these areas that have revolutionised the packaging industry in recent years.

How are we helping the environment and lowering our carbon footprint

UK Pet Food, of which we are a member, is a signatory of the WRAP UK Plastics Pact. The organisation has the initiative to create a circular economy for plastics (all plastic reused). As a member of UK Pet Food, we endeavour to use friendly packaging options that promote a recycling
infrastructure.

We make an effort to:

• Eliminate problematic single-use plastic packaging through redesign, innovation or re-use models
• 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging
• 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted
• 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.

Our sustainable packaging solutions

A few years ago, we moved to fully recyclable plastic bags for our dry food to help us take a step closer to our sustainability goal of creating a circular economy. The plastic we use is labelled as PP4 or PP5, depending on the product. In recent times, new developments in packaging have meant that we have been able to improve on this by using 30% PIR (Post Industrial Residue) content within our packaging – this is waste created in the manufacturing industry. The difference in the packaging after this change means that the packaging is still fully recyclable with this included. Recycling of this type of plastic is readily available. Many councils will collect the packaging with the normal kerbside collections but schemes such as at local supermarkets and TerraCycle are also available.

For more information on how we’re helping the environment, you can get in touch with us – we’re always happy to talk to our customers! Otherwise, you can take a look at our wide range of pet food and our packaging on our website.

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References:

The Plastics Pact Network | WRAP
https://lawprintpack.co.uk/packaging/recycled-content-packaging-for-food-contact-legislation/