Yeo Valley Organic removes single-use lids to save 145 tonnes of plastic a year

From January 2023, Yeo Valley Organic 350g and 450g tubs of yogurt will no longer be sold with single-use plastic lids. Instead, reusable lids will be available via the company’s online loyalty scheme by exchanging ‘Yeokens’.

“After successful trials removing clip lids from our Greek style yogurt range, we’re saying goodbye to plastic lids across our 350g and 450g tubs,” says Yeo Valley Organic Head of Brand Planning & Consumer Communications Sebastian Rusu. “Making this small change will remove 145 tonnes of plastic a year – that’s the equivalent of 188 Friesian cows, 24 African elephants or 17 tractors.”

“Sustainability is central to everything we do here at Yeo Valley. Being close to the farms, we see first-hand the incredible things nature can produce, and how humans can damage it. We always remind ourselves to put nature first, by playing our part in protecting and preserving the world for future generations and not controlling nature with chemicals, but working with it to create incredible food.”

“Packaging is an important aspect of our overall sustainability strategy and one where we can make a significant difference with even small changes. We are working to ‘close the loop’ on our packaging. We are members of The UK Plastics Pact and have made good progress on our journey to ensuring that all of our plastic packaging is fully recyclable and made from recycled materials.”

Pertectly recyclable packaging

A wide range of Yeo Valley Organic 350g and 450g yogurts are sold in Greiner Packaging’s perfectly recyclable K3^® cardboard-plastic cups. The light-weight plastic cup is made from 100% recycled PET (r-PET), wrapped in cardboard made from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^®) certified material.

Having scraped out the last spoonful of yogurt from the pot, consumers simply need to tear the seam and remove the cardboard sleeve. Having rinsed the plastic pot clean, it then goes in the plastics bin, while the sleeve goes into the cardboard and paper recycling.

After each use, the reusable lids just need to be washed by hand or put in the dishwasher, before being reused.

In the build-up to the change, products featured a message telling consumers that the old clip-lids were going to be removed, but that they could obtain reusable lids via the Yeo Valley Organic website by using their Yeokens.

On almost every Yeo Valley pack, there is a special code which can be redeemed online for Yeokens. These can be spent on goodies, discounts and days out, or used to play games and win prizes. They can also be used to make donations to Yeo Valley Organic’s chosen charities.

Sustainably sourced plastic and paper

“K3^® is one of the world’s most sustainable packaging solutions,” says Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland Sales Director Julie Eller. “We have worked with Yeo Valley Organic for many years and are proud to able to make a measurable contribution to the company’s sustainability goals.”

“Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland is the first packaging manufacturer in Northern Ireland to gain the Sustainably Sourced Plastics (SSP) Certification, and the first Greiner Packaging factory in the world to be awarded Forest Stewardship Council (FSC^®) Chain of Custody certification. The SSP and FSC certifications come only three months after we announced that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has approved the decontamination process used at our factory in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials.”