Reducing our environmental impact is a major part of achieving our mission to change the world of pet food for good. From the energy we use, to our waste, our packaging, our supply chain and our ingredients, there\u2019s work to be done and, for us, it’s about having a holistic, long term, approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
85% of our packaging is currently recyclable when measured by weight. The main exception is your dog\u2019s kibble bag. This bag does a big job, and it goes to every one of our customers; by making it recyclable we can have a significant positive impact. It hasn\u2019t been the easiest challenge though, and I wanted to share our approach to getting the best packaging solution to meet the needs of our customers, their dogs and the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s just a bag, right? Wrong – it has to keep your dog\u2019s food fresh<\/strong> – plus you need to open and reseal it every day, it also needs to be strong <\/strong>enough to carry 10kg<\/strong> (that\u2019s the same as a Westie!) and it has to travel well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We’ve looked at a number of different options to get us to the right material and had a lot to consider. Every material has a different effect on our carbon footprint and we’ve been looking at the whole supply chain<\/strong> of each material we consider. We also want to make recycling it – <\/strong> when our customers are done with it – as easy as possible<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, one of the key choices to weigh up was the impact of plastic .v. paper. When you\u2019re dealing with food that contains fat – be it human or pet – paper must have an \u2018interlining\u2019 to deliver the contents fresh and intact. This interlining is bonded to the paper and, therefore it needs special technology to split it apart making it difficult to recycle. You can\u2019t, for instance, put bonded paper in your average curbside or supermarket recycling point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve been busy with new pilot trials – and testing new, recyclable packaging options. We test:<\/p>\n\n\n\nA material balance<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
So where are we now?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n