Partnership will see Biffa supply Nestlé Waters UK with recycled PET to produce bottles for its water brands such as Buxton
Nestlé Waters has announced a recycling partnership with Biffa, which will see the waste management firm collect and process recyclable plastic bottles to supply the production of Buxton-branded water in the UK.
The agreement shortens the supply chain by helping to ensure a British supply of recycled plastic for Nestlé Waters' - which has typically relied on recyclable PET plastic feedstock from Europe - as well as supporting the firm's commitment to use 100 per cent recycled plastic for Buxton water bottles, it said.
After collecting the rPET bottles, Biffa will then process them at its new £27.5m plastics recycling facility in Seaham, County Durham, which has the capacity to recycle 1.3 billion bottles per year. By 2025, the facility will also supply recycled plastic for all Nestlé Water UK's brands, including S.Pellegrino, Nestlé Pure Life, and Perrier, the firm said.
Michel Beneventi, managing director of Nestlé Waters UK, said the deal would significantly reduce the amount of virgin plastic currently used by the firm, and help accelerate its shift towards a circular economy.
"This is a hugely significant step forwards in achieving our commitment of making our Buxton range from 100 per cent rPET," he said. "By working together, sharing expertise across our companies to advance PET recycling for circularity, I believe we can be a force for good, helping to create positive, long-lasting impact and change for the planet."
Chris Hanlon, commercial manager of Biffa Polymers - which aims to quadruple its plastic recycling by 2030 - argued the partnership showed plastic could still have a role in a modern, sustainable economy.
"At Biffa, a key pillar of our sustainability strategy is to help build a circular economy in the UK, part of which is to help our customers develop sustainable packaging that can fit into the closed-loop recycling system that we are working to develop," he said. "The collaboration with Nestlé Waters UK is a great example of this strategy in action, using recycled plastic to manufacture plastic bottles for resale."