Berry Global Group, Inc. collaborated with Nestlé Purina PetCare, manufacturer of some of the world’s most trusted and popular pet care products, to convert the packaging for its Friskies Party Mix 20oz and 30oz cat treat canisters are made of 100% recycled plastic (excluding the label and lid).
The new canisters, which will be available across the U.S. this summer, will be widely recyclable and made of 100% mechanically recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate). This achievement stems from a collaboration of packaging, material science, quality and operations personnel from both companies to deliver a new package that is more circular, reduces virgin resin use, while still maintaining the high-quality standards consumers have come to expect from Nestlé Purina PetCare.
"We believe future generations of people and pets deserve safe and healthy spaces to roam and play," said Franco Ignelzi, Expert Packaging at Nestlé Purina. "That vision includes a future where none of our product packaging ends up in a landfill and where our packaging is not only recyclable but incorporates recycled content. This project is an important step toward that vision."
The material used for the jars, post-consumer resin (PCR) PET, is a packaging option made from recycled plastics collected from consumers. This option helps prevent plastic waste from ending in landfills, decreases virgin plastic consumption, and reduces emissions while promoting a circular economy. Once the canisters are empty of treats, consumers can put them in a recycling bin - the plastic can then be used to make new products. The move to 100% recycled plastic incorporates mechanically processed recycled content and will eliminate more than 500 metric tons of virgin plastic annually, resulting in a greenhouse gas savings of 694 Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) equivalent. [1]
"We deeply appreciate the partnership with Nestlé Purina to enhance the circularity of this package, which we’ve been pleased to supply for several years as part of a longstanding relationship with Nestlé," said Nicole Pawlowski, Berry Global Sr. Strategic Account Director, Consumer Packaging North America. "This project reflects what is possible when partners collaborate to eliminate waste and develop packaging for circularity. It also reflects the effort and energy of many great teams within both companies. We are very proud of this partnership and look forward to future projects with Nestlé."
The canisters are produced at one of Berry’s SQF-certified manufacturing facilities using certified food-grade mechanically recycled resin sourced from curbside collection streams. Leveraging its material science expertise and technical resources, Berry collaborated with Nestlé to create a solution to further their mutual sustainability goals without impacting product quality.
[1] Source: https://plasticsrecycling.org/images/library/APR-Recycled-vs-Virgin-May2020.pdf
