A new partnership between Woolworths Group and Pact will use 18,000 tonnes of recycled plastics in the packaging of the retailer’s own-brand products.

Pact Group Holdings provides specialty packaging and recycling solutions to commercial and industrial sectors.

Through this collaboration, Woolworths’ product range such as milk bottles, meat trays and beverage bottles will be made with recycled plastic taken from household recycling and container deposit schemes.

Rob McCartney, Woolworths Group MD of format & network development, said the business is working hard to remove plastic from packaging however finds it necessary to protect quality and food safety in some products.

“Across the scale of our range, the real challenge is sourcing quality recycled material in the volumes we need and ensuring it’s coming from within Australia to support the development of our local circular economy and avoid shipping emissions.”

Sanjay Dayal, Pact Group CEO and MD, said the company knows that consumers and businesses are increasingly demanding recycled and recyclable plastic packaging. “Pact is working with committed partners like Woolworths Group to drive that change.”

He added plastic packaging that is designed “effectively” can be used repeatedly creating a local circular economy.

Pact operates five plastic recycling facilities in Australia and is investing $76 million to install new technology and equipment across its packaging manufacturing facilities.

It has already supplied Woolworths with 50 million reusable and recyclable plastic produce crates in replacement of traditional single-use cardboard and polystyrene boxes.