Today, bottles at ASDA get a green makeover with the launch of an innovative recycled cardboard version: the first milk bottle in the UK to be 91 per cent recycled (from waste office paper) and 99 per cent recyclable. The two litre milk bottle, created by GreenBottle, has a carbon footprint that is 48 per cent lower than plastic[1].   

Chris Brown, Head of Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing at ASDA, comments: “Milk is one of our highest selling products, and as such, we have a responsibility to develop alternative packaging making it easier for our customers to go green and to help them recycle at home. 

“Also, unlike products that are being trialled by other retailers such as the pouch, this milk bottle is robust, practical and fit for purpose, meaning there is no danger of spilled milk at breakfast time.” 

Simon King, Chief Executive of Greenbottle, says: “We are delighted to be distributing the GreenBottle through ASDA, who have been incredibly supportive. Our partnership is a perfect example of how environmentally friendly products can be taken to the mainstream.” 

GreenBottles have an outer shell which is made from recycled paper, which can then be further recycled.  The low density inner liner, which takes up less than 0.5 per cent of the space of a traditional plastic bottle if put into a landfill, prevents liquid from contaminating the paper outer. 

According to the latest government figures from WRAP, just 25% of plastic bottles in the domestic waste stream are currently recycled, with the rest going to landfill. 

These innovative milk bottles launch as part of ASDA’s ongoing pledge to reduce packaging across its products while simultaneously increasing the amount of its packaging that can be recycled. ASDA is on track to achieve zero waste to landfill by 2010. 

The new milk bottles will launch in the Lowestoft store in Suffolk, with plans for a wider roll out to take place to 14 stores throughout East Anglia later this year.  ASDA, through GreenBottle, is working in partnership with Suffolk dairy, Marybelle, to bottle locally produced milk for ASDA stores in the East of England.