One Stop’s strategic alliance with Veolia marks a significant enhancement in sustainable recycling efforts.
- Annually, over 380,000 milk bottles from One Stop will undergo recycling, reducing reliance on raw materials.
- Veolia’s Dagenham facility plays a crucial role in transforming used bottles into reusable materials.
- This initiative aligns with both One Stop and Veolia’s sustainability goals, contributing to carbon emission reduction.
- Additional efforts by One Stop include partnerships to decrease food waste, aiming for net zero by 2050.
The partnership between One Stop and global resource management firm Veolia represents a pivotal step in enhancing closed-loop recycling processes. Through this collaboration, more than 380,000 own-label milk bottles from vending machines and staff amenities will be collected and recycled annually. This initiative not only supports sustainable operations but also significantly reduces the need for virgin raw materials.
Weekly collections of these bottles from One Stop’s distribution centres are made by Veolia. Once collected, the bottles are transported to Veolia’s Dagenham Plastic Facility. Here, the bottles undergo a detailed process where they are washed, shredded, turned into plastic pellets, and subsequently transformed back into milk bottles. This method embodies a sustainable life cycle for plastic materials, reinforcing the importance of ecological responsibility.
Speaking on this initiative, One Stop’s sustainability manager, Amriene Kalsi, expressed satisfaction with the progress towards increased recycling within the company’s operations. The company’s aim is to contribute actively towards achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, with recycling being a cornerstone of this goal.
Echoing this sentiment, Veolia’s commercial business development director, Simon Futcher, highlighted the environmental benefits of the project. Futcher stated, “This partnership aligns with Veolia’s purpose of ecological transformation…” He underscored that recycling old milk bottles into new ones decreases the demand for new materials and reduces carbon emissions by 67%.
Complementing these recycling endeavours, One Stop has also been proactive in other sustainability aspects. The retailer successfully trialled a shift from green to clear, recyclable milk bottle lids with supplier Müller. Furthermore, a collaboration with the Swedish food tech innovator, Whywaste, has been established to manage and reduce food waste within its stores.
This collaboration between One Stop and Veolia exemplifies a significant stride towards sustainable retail practices, aligning with global environmental objectives.
