Allied Bakeries is to add a recycling logo to the front of Kingsmill and Burgen bread bags to encourage more consumers to recycle them.

The new packaging will feature the on-pack recycling label on the back and a call to action, such as ‘please recycle me’ or ‘please recycle responsibly’, on the front. Allied said the front-of-pack logos had been designed to reflect the brands’ tone of voice.

They will be rolled out across the Kingsmill range from February and Burgen over the coming weeks.

Consumers can recycle their bread bags at plastic bag collection points in most major retailers’ stores as most local councils do not collect them as part of kerbside collections.

“Reducing our use of plastic and finding packaging alternatives are high on our sustainability agenda, and something we’re working on independently, as well as through cross-industry initiatives,” said Matthew Cullum, director of marketing at Allied Bakeries.

“In 2018 we reduced of the amount of plastic packaging we use in a year by 240 tonnes – simply by reducing the thickness of Kingsmill bread bags. Now, by adding the recycling logo to our portfolio, we’re trying to increase consumer recycling of bread bags.”

The move by Allied Bakeries follows in the footsteps of Hovis, which introduced an on-pack recycling label to its products in October. Since then, Hovis has partnered with recycling firm TerraCycle to further increase the number of bread bags sent for recycling through a UK-wide network of public access recycling points.

Cullum added: “The ultimate sustainability challenge faced by the food industry is to make packaging both readily recyclable and able to keep food safe and fresh, in order to help reduce food waste and protect consumers.”