Heinz and Tesco have embarked on a pioneering trial in partnership with experts that they hope will inspire the wider industry to take action in tackling the lack of soft plastic waste being recycled in the UK.
Heinz and its expert partners – Plastic Energy, SABIC and Berry Global – have developed new Heinz Beanz Snap Pots which are made from 39% recycled soft plastic, collected from customers at Tesco’s in-store collection points. The new Heinz Beanz Snap Pots were designed and developed by Heinz’s R&D team to be more sustainable.
The recycled plastic used in the snappable pots is certified by the ISCC, a global sustainability certification system that supports the transition to a circular economy. The 39% recycled plastic they contain was validated using the “mass balance approach” endorsed by ISCC, which makes it possible to track the amount and sustainability characteristics of materials used in the manufacturing process.
To date soft plastic packaging has been notoriously difficult to recycle, and until 2020 just six percent of UK soft plastics were being recycled[1]. Tesco started collecting soft plastic in all its large stores in 2021 to help plug this recycling gap in the UK. Once collected by Tesco, as much as possible is recycled into new products and packaging. From August, all materials will be sorted in the UK. The move to make soft plastics into food-grade, microwavable snappable pots that can be returned into the kerbside recycling loop is believed to be a world first.
