Seven of the UK’s leading food retailers—Waitrose, Greggs, Morrisons, M&S, Tesco, Lidl, and Asda—have made a significant leap in sustainable packaging by transitioning their own-brand instant porridge pots to Greiner Packaging’s innovative K3® r100 self-separating solution.
A Game-Changer in Recycling Efficiency
This groundbreaking packaging innovation eliminates the need for consumer intervention in separating materials for recycling. K3® r100 ensures that the cardboard outer wrap and plastic container separate automatically before reaching the recycling facility, making it a highly efficient and sustainable solution with recyclability rates of up to 98%.
Rachel Sheldon, Sustainability and Innovation Manager at Greiner Packaging UK & Ireland, highlighted the growing industry shift:
“We are excited to see so many UK retailers recognizing the benefits of K3® r100. Following Symington’s pioneering move to adopt this solution for its Oatburst instant porridge brand last year, more brands are now embracing its recyclability advantages.”
The Evolution of K3® Packaging
Greiner Packaging first introduced the K3® cardboard-plastic hybrid cup over 40 years ago to reduce plastic use. Traditionally, consumers were required to manually separate the materials for proper recycling. However, with K3® r100, this process is fully automated, ensuring seamless material separation before reaching near-infrared (NIR) detection at recycling facilities.
This breakthrough innovation allows cardboard and plastic to be accurately sorted into correct recycling streams, significantly improving the efficiency of waste management systems and reducing environmental impact.
