Ella’s Kitchen pledges to make 75% of babyfood pouches recyclable

Ella’s Kitchen has pledged to make almost 75% of its babyfood pouches fully recyclable at kerbside by the end of 2024.

Following in the footsteps of Piccolo and Heinz, Ella’s will transition its entire pasteurised range (for babies aged four months-plus) to monomaterial pouches made from polypropylene over the next 18 months.

It kickstarted the move last month with the rollout of one of its ‘squished smoothie fruits’ variants, The Green One, in a polypropylene pouch.

Ella’s is also working with packaging manufacturers to explore potential monomaterial solutions for the remaining 25% of its pouches (for babies aged seven months and up, and 12 months-plus), which have to withstand a different cooking process and more pressure.

The commitment was set out in the babyfood brand’s annual impact report, Good Stuff We Do, published today (14 June).

It also set out plans for 100% of Ella’s pouches to be lighter, recyclable at kerbside and contain a minimum of 30% recycled content by 2030.

According to the report, packaging currently contributes to 28% of the company’s carbon footprint, but a switch to polypropylene pouches would help it work towards its goal of being net zero by 2030.

Positive impact was “at the heart of Ella’s Kitchen’s mission”, said CEO Mark Cuddigan.

“From transforming our packaging and setting ambitious science-based targets to championing diversity and inclusion, every step we take embodies our responsibility to leave a lasting legacy,” Cuddigan added.

Ella’s Kitchen posted double-digit growth for the first time in five years in March, with revenues soaring 17.9% to £85.8m in the year ended 30 June 2022, according to company accounts.