New skyr bucket reduces plastic by 40 percent

Every year, consumers across Europe buy 17 million skyr buckets from Arla. And now, Arla is ready with a more sustainable packaging for the skyr buckets. The new bucket is made with 40 percent less plastic and will ensure a 30 percent CO2 reduction. The sustainable skyr buckets are an example of the latest initiative in Arla’s ambitious packaging strategy.

One of Arla’s most popular products, skyr, will now be sold with a new and more sustainable packaging. Thereby, Arla takes a step further towards the dairy cooperative’s goal of producing the world’s most sustainable dairy products. The new bucket ensures a saving of 30 percent of Arla’s CO2 emissions for each of the approximately 17 million 1 kilo-skyr buckets that are sold in Arla’s core markets every year. This corresponds to a reduction of 440 tons CO2 on a yearly basis.

“At Arla, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact, and sustainable packaging is a vital part of the solution. Last year we converted more than one billion packaging items to sustainable materials across Europe. With our new skyr buckets we take the next step. We have minimized the use of plastic and reduced use of fossil-based material. This means that we in collaboration with our European consumers can reduce CO2 emission by 30 percent compared to the previous skyr bucket,” says Lise Berg Kildemark, Director of Sustainable packaging at Arla.

To begin with, the new skyr buckets will be available for consumers in five of Arla’s core markets: Denmark, Germany, Sweden, UK and the Netherlands.

Less plastic and more cardboard The cut in CO2 is primarily driven by a significant plastic reduction. Each bucket has sixteen grams less plastic than the former packaging, and the bucket and lid are 100 percent recyclable. This ensures a plastic saving of 40 percent, corresponding to 270 tons of plastic per year. The reduced plastic is replaced with a cardboard wrapper made from certified cardboard, which originate from responsibly managed forests. The cardboard is easy to separate by the consumers and can be recycled. In other words, this means that Arla has removed plastic and replaced it with renewable cardboard.

Creating new environmentally friendly packaging that also meets the requirements for food safety and functionality is a key focus for Arla. Therefore, the dairy company works hard to continuously improve the packaging and make it more sustainable.

“Using less plastic is a key part of Arla’s packaging strategy. We are constantly looking to reduce our carbon footprint and increase the sustainability of our packaging. And there is no doubt that reducing plastic is a vital aspect to achieve that goal. Therefore, we work closely together with our suppliers, researchers, and customers to find solutions to minimize the use of plastic,” says Lise Berg Kildemark and continues: ”The perspective for the new skyr bucket is tremendous. Initially, we are replacing the old buckets in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK and the Netherlands, saving plastic and CO2. Going forward we will look to use the sustainable bucket in other countries and for other products as well. This packaging is a good example of how we invite our customers and suppliers to be part of the sustainable agenda, where circularity is the common goal.”

Facts about the new sustainable bucket

• Arla’s 1 kilo SKYR will now be sold in a new and sustainable bucket.

• The new bucket contains 40 percent less plastic. This ensures a total plastic saving of 270 tons of plastic per year.

• Each bucket has sixteen grams less plastic than the old packaging,

• Both bucket and lid are 100 percent recyclable. Part of the plastic is replaced by cardboard.

• A cardboard wrapper, made of FSC certified paper and fully recyclable, is replacing plastic components of the packaging. The cardboard is easy for the consumer to separate from the other packaging components and can be recycled.

• The certified cardboard wrapper originates from responsibly managed forests.

• The plastic used for the bucket, lid and label is polypropylene.

• Arla has reduced fossil material and replaced it with renewables.

• The new bucket ensures a saving of 30 percent CO2 emissions compared to the old bucket. This corresponds to a total CO2 saving of 440 tons.

• The new SKYR bucket is now introduced in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, UK and the Netherlands.