Tesco and Faerch launch circular packaging solution for ready meals

Tesco, in collaboration with packaging manufacturer Faerch, has launched an innovative recycling programme that enables the recycling of used plastic food trays back into packaging. This marks a significant industry milestone and provides a fully circular packaging solution for the company's core range of chilled ready meals.

Under the Tray 2 Tray by Faerch™ programme, customer-recovered PET trays collected from European kerbside waste will be recycled and converted back into food-grade plastic trays. This ensures that high-quality food-grade PET remains within the supply chain instead of being downcycled.

Tesco already uses up to 75% recycled content in its ready meal trays, primarily from cleaner and more easily recyclable bottle flake plastic. With the new programme, a minimum of 30% recycled tray content will be included in the new core chilled ready meals trays. The phased rollout of the new trays is set to begin in April across Tesco's own-brand chilled ready meals.

The collaboration between Tesco and Faerch demonstrates that PET packaging from trays can be fully recovered and recycled at an industrial scale. Tesco is also working with suppliers to eliminate hard-to-recycle materials from UK packaging, and supports industry initiatives such as the UK Plastics Pact to address the impact of plastic waste.

Adele Kearns, Packaging Development Manager at Tesco, said: "We are determined to close the loop on our packaging – for it to be fully recyclable and contain recycled content wherever possible. We remain committed to reducing our environmental impact, and helping our customers to do the same, as we work together to protect our planet."

Ruth Price, Strategic Sales Manager at Faerch UK, said: "We're delighted to launch our Tray 2 Tray by Faerch™ programme with Tesco, an essential initiative that promotes circular food packaging in the economy, and we are committed to working with our customers to keep rigid food packaging in the economy and out of the environment. Our collaboration with Tesco is the perfect example of how material from EU waste resources can be diverted into a valuable commodity. Moving forward, our intention is to not only increase the level of tray-to-tray content but to also start taking this from local UK feedstocks".