Yoghurt business The Collective is introducing recycled plastic (rPET) across its packaging as part of a company-wide sustainability effort to reduce its environmental impact. It also features a specially designed recycling icon on its label.
The Collective’s kefir probiotic yoghurt will be the first of its products making its way into stores with the rPET packaging, working with packaging company Alto – a division of Pact Group – to develop the kefir bottles.
As part of the switch to rPET, the packs feature a temporary brand logo with a nod to the recycling icon in a shape of a cow, as well as a bespoke recycling icon on the back of the pack.
The Collective marketing manager Angela Lewis said the bottle change aims to reduce the amount of new plastic created by 35 tonnes, as well as 98 tonnes of CO2 emissions, each year.
“People want more environmentally friendly options and ways to reduce their own personal impact,” said Lewis.
“This is the next step in our sustainability journey, and we are committed to doing more in this area. To highlight the change, we’ve even made the bold move to update our logo on the bottles to make it even easier for people to spot it on shelf.”
The in-house design team at The Collective has further crafted a distinct colour palette for the kefir, based on research into how colour impacts on shoppers.
“As a result, our pourable kefir colour palette has been carefully crafted to bring disruption to the dairy aisle and give our shoppers an uplifting feeling,” Lewis told PKN.
“Our bottles also face the challenge of sometimes being placed in the darker well of the fridge aisle, so we needed to ramp up their volume with a bright and bold colour palette.”
Lewis said the new labels and bottles aim to “attract curiosity, start conversations and help to encourage shoppers to think about the bigger picture”.
As part of the change, The Collective has partnered with conservation charity Trees That Count, which aims to see more native trees planted throughout the country. The organisation’s online marketplace also allows New Zealanders to fund or gift native trees.
“By working together with companies like The Collective we’re able to plant more and more precious native trees around the country and further reduce carbon emissions. Every bottle of kefir probiotic yoghurt purchased, goes toward this effort,” said Trees That Count head of marketing and partnerships Melanie Seyfort.
The new packs for The Collective will be rolling out in stores over the coming months.
