UK crisps get a taste of circular packaging

The British Crisp Company has teamed up with Evopak and Aquapak to create a ‘fully recyclable’ packet for its snacks. The brand says it will help pave the way for circular food packaging.

The new crisp packet is made with Aquapak’s Hydropol, an innovative polymer that is claimed to offer a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic. It was designed to tackle the environmental impact of the eight billion non-recyclable packets discarded in the country every year.

A very thin layer of vacuum-deposited aluminium keeps the crisps fresh but does not impact the recyclability of the packets, Aquapak says. Hydropol can be recycled, re-pulped or composted and is compatible with anaerobic digestion.

Packets be disposed of in consumer kerbside collections along with other paper material, unlike other crisps.

‘Brits consume billions of packets of crisps each year; the majority are not recyclable and end up in landfill or incinerators,’ comments Tom Lock, ceo of British Snack Company. ‘That’s a lot of waste and a huge environmental problem.’

‘Using exciting new polymer technology, we have created the first fully recyclable crisp packet. This is something that consumers have been demanding for a long time.’

All crisps are made from potatoes sourced from UK farms. They are processed using renewable energy. Offered in recyclable packaging, Lock says, ‘they don’t just taste good, they do good’.