Food manufacturer The Compleat Food Group has cut over 100 tonnes of plastic from its supply chain by removing plastic trays from its pork pie packaging.
The initiative, which spans both branded and own-label products, is set to reduce plastic use by 110 tonnes annually. The group produces an estimated 200 million pork pies annually for retailers and its portfolio of brands, which include Pork Farms, Wall’s Pastry, and Wrights.
The rollout follows a substantial investment in automation equipment at its Tottle site in Nottingham, where the company implemented a new, innovative trayless packaging process which eliminates 75% of the plastic previously used in high-volume pork pie packs. This will result in a carbon saving of approximately 430 tonnes of CO2 equivalent each year, it said.
“Our move to trayless packaging for pork pies is a prime example of how innovation and investment can drive meaningful sustainability improvements. While the automation required careful consideration of speed and efficiency, the result is a significant reduction in plastic use without compromising on product quality or freshness,” said David Moore, head of ESG at The Compleat Food Group.
Moore added that it marked a “huge step forward” in Compleat’s efforts to reduce plastic packaging across its portfolio.
Other efforts are being made on the use of flexible films – a material that remains a challenge for the food industry due to the lack of collection and recycling infrastructure. Compleat is transitioning to mono-material films for specific product packaging, such as chorizo. These films can be recycled through supermarket collection points and is expected to be kerbside recyclable from 2027.
The above forms part of Compleat’s work to reduce its environmental impact and its commitment to WRAP’s UK Plastics Pact. As part of this, the manufacturer has resolved to addressing the challenges of packaging by removing unnecessary materials, increasing the use of recycled content, and improving recyclability. It uses over 4,000 tonnes of plastic annually and has a strategy to reduce this figure through targeted innovations, while maintaining product quality and freshness, it noted.
The company’s broader ESG goals include exploring new packaging solutions, trialling recyclable alternatives, and embedding sustainability across its operations. Recent achievements include replacing rPET plastic trays with recyclable paper-based board in its Squeaky Bean range, cutting plastic use in that range by 82%.
The Compleat Food Group, which was formed in 2021, employs more than 16,000 people across 16 sites. Its latest accounts filed on Companies House saw sales and profits soar as it continues on its journey to become ‘the UK’s leading chilled prepared food group’.
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