Quorn Foods, the leading meat substitute brand in the UK, will phase out 297 tonnes of non-recyclable packaging by the end of July. By 2025, the company plans to use 100% recyclable, reusable and sustainable materials, replacing black plastic containers with opaque white recyclable plastics. The company sells meatless nuggets, sausages, burgers and more worldwide. The black plastics were previously used for products such as “Quorn Mince” and “Pieces”.
The process began in April after the brand heard about the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Last year, WRAP found that black plastics are being dumped at landfill sites and are therefore a major burden on the environment. Based on this insight, Quorn restructured itself and became a founding member of WRAP’s UK Plastic Pact. The changeover will involve high costs. Kevin Brennan, CEO of Quorn Foods, said in a statement: “The rapid removal of black plastic is a major challenge, but as a sustainable company we consider it very important. We think it’s the right thing to do, despite the six-figure costs.”
Quorn is not the first large company to commit to phasing out non-recyclable materials. The furniture giant IKEA has also committed itself to making its supply chain more sustainable. The international chain will phase out all disposable plastics by 2020.
