Does Innocent use any PLA packaging?
We trialled the use of PLA (polylactic acid) for our breakfast thickie in 2007 – we liked the material because it was made entirely from a renewable resource, and could be composted at end of life. Following on from our trial, we found that PLA isn’t quite the right material for us at this point in time. Whilst the bottle is made from a renewable resource, it does not use any waste materials. There are also concerns about the use of food crops to produce plastics and fuels – in that they can take land that is needed for food crops, and push up the prices of food, so it is really important to make sure that we use what would have otherwise been waste materials where we can, and to check sourcing carefully to ensure the crops are grown responsibly. Finally composting is not yet a mainstream end of life option here in the UK, with only a small number of households having any sort of collection of food waste. We have also received feedback from plastics recyclers that PLA bottles can add c
