Quorn to remove black plastic packaging from range

Vegetarian food producer Quorn has announced plans to remove black plastic from its packaging range.

It estimates that this move will eliminate 297t of non-recyclable plastic from its supply chain.

Since April 2018, black plastic has been phased out of the majority of Quorn packaging. This month (June), in-store packaging of the vast majority of the chilled range will move to white and opaque recyclable plastics. 

Quorn was one of the 42 businesses and organisations to sign up to the UK Plastic Pact, instigated by WRAP. The Pact aims to make 100% of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable; 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted and for 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.

The business decided to eliminate black plastic on the back of the April 2017 WRAP announcement that it was not being recycled by local authorities instead being sent to landfill.

Kevin Brennan, Quorn Foods chief executive, said: “As a founding signatory of WRAP’s UK Plastic Pact, we are very excited to announce this positive change towards increased sustainability of our products. Moving so quickly to remove black plastic is a significant challenge, but one that, as a sustainable company, we view as being of the utmost importance. We view this as the right thing to do, despite the six-figure cost.

"Our customers will be able to continue enjoying Quorn as part of a balanced and healthy diet, knowing that we are committed to reducing all forms of food waste in our supply chain and to promoting and advancing sustainability without passing the cost onto consumers.”