Pringles iconic tube pilots an eco-makeover in UK
10th September 2020 | Recycling
The Kellogg’s brand is trialling a tube made of recycled paper – which is widely recyclable – in the UK, which “will shape what the Pringles can of the future could look like.” The move is part of the breakfast cereal and snacks giant’s company-wide commitment to transform to 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. Launched in partnership with Tesco, the pilot is taking place in three of the grocer’s outlets across East Anglia from September 9, 2020 for six weeks for the Pringles 200g Original variant.
The recycled paper pilot follows a similar trial of a recyclable steel can in Italy at the end of last year. A Kellogg’s UK spokesperson told BakeryandSnacks, “We’re still in the testing phase in our journey of designing the Pringles can of the future. As a global brand, we will be assessing the results of our packaging trials in [both] Italy and the UK soon to understand which formats which could work best.”
Pringles
The iconic tube – invented by organic chemist and food storage technician Fredric John Baur – has been a defining feature of Pringles since it was launched in 1967 in the US. However, it was branded one of the “villains” of the recycling world by the UK’s Recycling Association, thanks to its use of multiple materials including a metal base, plastic cap, metal tear-off lid and foil-lined cardboard sleeve, which are difficult to recycle through an existing household recycling system.
To overcome this, Pringles partnered with TerraCycle two years ago to create a free recycling programme for all Pringles cans in the UK. Now, after 12 months of intensive R&D, an inhouse team has created a recyclable paper tube that also protects the hyperbolic paraboloid shaped contents and maintains their crunch over a long shelf life. The paper cans will be trialled with two different lids: a paper lid and a plastic lid, both of which can be recycled.
More information available on the website below
https://www.bakeryandsnacks.com/Article/2020/09/10/Pringles-iconic-tube-pilots-an-eco-makeover-in-UK