Hutamaki has recently announced closure of the company's site in Portadown in Northern Ireland was because of the shift towards more recoverable and renewable polymers like recycled PET (rPET). Huhtamaki is also ceasing rigid plastic consumer packaging production at its other UK facility in Gosport due to outdated plant infrastructure, rising manufacturing and energy costs as well as decline in volumes. These closures have happened amid growing environmental concerns among consumers and governments leading to higher demand for sustainably-sourced products. Record high polymer costs have also compelled processors to assess other options. Any move towards greater use of recycled packaging will also depend heavily on production costs and logistics. As per the packaging recycling targets set by the European Commission for the 25 EU member states: a minimum of 60% of packaging waste must be recovered or incinerated and between 55 and 80% of packaging waste must be recycled by the end of 2008.

Recycled packaging has become a more viable option in the UK, according to leading firms spanning soft drinks, food retailing and cosmetics, who have been evaluating products and checking consumer opinion. Interest is increasing across the retail and packaging sectors in more sustainable packaging solutions. As per recyclingaction-yorkshire.org.uk, demand for PET, used for a significant proportion of plastic bottles and trays, and increasingly in other types of packaging, is growing faster than for any other type of plastic. Interestingly, of the 30000-40000 tpa of PET recycled in the UK, an insignificant quantity found its way back into UK packaging production. Funded by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme), Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE), Marks & Spencer and Boots have completed year-long trials. The trials explore for the first time in the UK the potential to close the recycling loop for PET (polyethylene terephthalate). The findings have been very positive and have shown that recycled PET (rPET) can meet the technical, commercial and safety requirements demanded by the retail sector, and are considered as a highly acceptable option by customers. As a result, all three project partners have either confirmed their intentions to use rPET on a commercial scale in the future or are already doing so. This commitment from major brand names signals a growth in demand for rPET, which will in turn stimulate UK recycling capacity and will also motivate consumers to recycle more. The end that WRAP intended to meet was by funding the trials was to help close the recycling loop by demonstrating the viability of using rPET in new packaging, particularly in high value food grade packaging, and thereby encouraging UK market demand.
The project has seen a range of packaging produced and tested to establish both performance and consumer acceptability. CCE trialed 25% rPET in a range of 500ml bottles including Diet Coke; Marks & Spencer incorporated between 30-50% rPET in the packaging for its salad and 'Food to Go' ranges; and Boots used 30% rPET in the packaging for high profile Ingredients range of toiletries. In each trial, the recycled content packaging was being successfully produced and available on shelf for over 6 months, with no adverse impact on sales. In fact, direct feedback from M&S customers (where the recycled content was declared) was very positive, with 96% of respondents saying they thought the initiative was a good idea and 85% saying it made them feel better about shopping at M&S. Overall results indicated that 86% of those surveyed felt it would be good if packaging contained recycled plastic, and 78% said they would feel more positive about a product or manufacturer whose packs were made using recycled plastic.

The successful CCE trial involved the production of 75 mln bottles for a range of the company's best selling carbonated drinks. Along with proving performance and acceptability, using rPET can deliver energy savings in the bottle manufacturing process.
Marks & Spencer incorporated rPET in 150 million packs during the trial and has not only continued with its use, but is committed to extending to a wider range of products. The company used on-pack messages and dedicated recycling bins to communicate the concept of closing the packaging loop and reported an overwhelmingly positive response from customers.
Basing the trials at its own packaging production unit in Nottingham, Boots investigated the viability of using different percentages of rPET in the packaging for its 'Ingredients' range of shampoos and conditioners. Between October 2005 and March this year, the company manufactured 1.3 million bottles containing 30% rPET which went on shelf in stores across the UK.
The findings are of particular interest given a wider shift in favour of rPET in the market, including sustained high prices for virgin PET and plans for additional UK-based reprocessing capacity for recovered PET to come on stream in 2007. Further capacity, however, will still be required if there is to be widespread uptake of rPET by large PET bottle producers and strong global demand for waste plastic and recyclate is likely to continue to impact on availability. To address this and help supply to keep pace with anticipated demand, WRAP will be working with local authorities and the recycling sector, as well with consumers, to increase the amount of plastic bottles recovered from household waste.