Nestlé rolls out recyclable baby food pouch

Gerber, a subsidiary of Nestlé, has launched a single-material baby food pouch that is suitable for recycling. Developed by Gualapack, the pouches are made from polypropylene (PP), a versatile plastic available commercially. The switch to PP is expected to make more plastics infinitely recyclable and increase the value of the material for the recycling industry.

“Designing with a single material creates greater value for the recycling industry, promoting the development of better recycling infrastructure. After more than two years of experimenting and innovating, we were able to help create a first-of-its-kind solution for baby food that meets the safety and freshness requirements for our little ones,” said Tony Dzikowicz, Associate Director of Packaging at Gerber.

Gerber, in collaboration with Materials Recovery for the Future (MRFF), is helping to expand kerbside recycling for the pouch, and all baby food pouches, with MRFF’s pilot program in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, which is claimed to be the first kerbside recycling program in the US to accept flexible plastics.

“We believe the baby food industry should help create a world where babies thrive, and initiatives like this one help us go beyond nutrition to protect the planet. We’re committed to making 100% of our packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025, and this pouch is an important step in promoting the development of better recycling infrastructure,” said Bill Partyka, President and CEO of Gerber.

In the US, the new pouch will be available on TheGerberStore.com for Gerber’s Organic Banana Mango Puree from May 2020. It will be 100% recyclable through Gerber’s national recycling program with TerraCycle. In Finland, the pouch will be available for Piltti’s Apple Pear Blueberry Raspberry, sold in supermarkets.

“We are proud to have found a solution for the recyclability of baby food pouches. We began in the US and Finland for two product variants, and we aim to gradually extend the use of single-material pouches to our baby food pouches range globally,” said Thierry Philardeau, Head of the Nutrition Strategic Business Unit at Nestlé.

Image credit: Nestlé.