Tesco is claiming an industry first with a move to recycle ready meal trays back into food trays.
The supermarket is collaborating with packaging manufacturer Faerch, in a move it said would see PET trays collected via kerbside waste recycled and converted back into food grade plastic trays.
The intention was to create a “fully circular packaging solution for its range of core chilled ready meals”, a Tesco spokesman said.
He said Tesco’s ready meal trays already contained up to 75% recycled content, predominantly from cleaner and easier to recycle bottle flake plastic. Through the new ‘Tray 2 Tray by Faerch’ programme, a minimum of 30% recycled tray content would be included in the new core chilled ready meal trays.
A phased rollout of the new trays is set to take place across the supermarket’s core own-brand chilled ready meals. Twenty-seven lines are due to have received the treatment within the coming weeks.
“We are determined to close the loop on our packaging – for it to be fully recyclable and contain recycled content wherever possible,” said Tesco packaging and development manager Adele Kearns.
“We remain committed to reducing our environmental impact, and helping our customers to do the same, as we work together to protect our planet.”
Faerch UK strategic sales manager Ruth Price said: “We’re delighted to launch our Tray 2 Tray by Faerch programme with Tesco, an essential initiative that promotes circular food packaging in the economy, and we are committed to working with our customers to keep rigid food packaging in the economy and out of the environment.
“Our collaboration with Tesco is the perfect example of how material from EU waste resources can be diverted into a valuable commodity.”
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