B Corporations Ella’s Kitchen and Danone Yogurt are partnering with TerraCycle to provide a UK-wide recycling solution for all baby food and yogurt pouches. The scheme calls on other F&B brands to join the programme as co-sponsors and make it easier for consumers to recycle food packaging.

The UK’s number one baby food brand, Ella’s Kitchen, has announced its collaboration with Danone Yogurt and TerraCycle to launch the Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme. Together, the organisations have called on other food brands who use flexible pouches across the UK to join them in their mission to ensure less packaging goes to landfill.

The Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme will launch in early November with approximately 500 public drop-off points around the UK – run by community recycling champions. The programme will offer parents and carers a nationwide recycling solution for all baby food and yogurt pouches, as any brand of pouch will be accepted.

Ella’s Kitchen and Danone Yogurt are inviting other food brands to become co-sponsors to increase the number of public drop-off points. By signing up, each brand would take responsibility for 100 drop-off points, and over the next three years the scheme aims to expand by adding a number of new core partners. Their ambition is for all brands that have food pouches to help grow the programme and ultimately come together, across different categories, to tackle issues like product packaging and recycling.

Consumer demand and environmental need for recycling solutions 

The Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme will build on the brands’ current schemes, EllaCycle and The Danone Yogurt Pouch Recycling Programme respectively. Ella’s Kitchen was one of the first brands to partner with TerraCycle in the UK and created EllaCycle in 2010. To date, EllaCycle has recycled over four  million pouches – and, despite Covid-19, saw a 90-per-cent increase in the number of pouches recycled from FY19 to FY20, showing the ever-increasing consumer demand for recycling solutions. 

However, there is still more that needs to be done. The growing awareness of the negative environmental impact of plastic pollution and waste demands a response from businesses worldwide. Ella’s Kitchen and Danone Yogurt are taking the unique step of collaborating to share responsibility and do more to address this issue together.

Collaboration – not competition – is key

Ella’s Kitchen, Danone Yogurt and TerraCycle are all members of the UK Plastics Pact and committed to tackling the UK’s plastic pollution and waste problem. As certified B Corporations, Ella’s Kitchen and Danone UK also believe strongly that businesses should be the drivers of positive change and that collaboration is key to making that change happen.

The Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme is part of the brands’ joint mission to improve recycling infrastructure in the UK. They are inviting other brands who use flexible pouches throughout the food industry to join them in this process, as part of this scheme and beyond.

“If we are going to have any chance of tackling the environmental challenges our planet faces, from plastic pollution to climate change, then we need to work together,” remarked Mark Cuddigan, CEO of Ella’s Kitchen. “Every food brand should have their own recycling scheme, but individualism is getting in the way of the bigger picture – we need to be fostering collaboration not competition to make the most impact,” he stressed.  

“The Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme is by no means the only solution. At Ella’s Kitchen, we are committed to making our packaging widely recyclable by 2024 and to tackle the problem we all need to push for long-term, kerbside recycling. Our mission has always been to give little ones the best start in life. We need to work together now to leave the planet in a better place for future generations.”

Creating new recycling points across the UK

“As certified B Corps, its important we work together to use business as a force for good, in this case leveraging our collective strength to support recycling systems in the UK,” commented Adam Grant, Regional VP of Danone Essential Dairy and Plant-Based in the UK and Ireland. “We recognise our responsibility for reducing our impact on the planet. That’s why our Danone Yogurt pots are already 100-per-cent recyclable and contain 30 per cent recycled PET. It’s also why we’re exploring alternative packaging solutions by offering our Danone Yogurt in a refillable glass jar through Loop’s zero waste shopping platform.” 

Mr Grant told Food & Beverage Networker that he encouraged other B Corps and food brands to join Danone, Ella’s Kitchen and TerraCycle in extending The Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme, so that recycling points can become available for more families around the country.

Laure Cucuron, General Manager for TerraCycle Europe, remarked that it was great to see two of our partners working together to create more opportunities for consumers to recycle. “We hope more brands who use pouches will see this as an opportunity to join the Kids Food Pouch Recycling Programme and work with Ella’s Kitchen and Danone to grow the initiative and offer their consumers a more accessible recycling solution in the UK.”