WILL THE MILK BOTTLE BECOME A THING OF THE PAST?

Sainsbury’s will become the first UK retailer to launch a full range of milk with different fat contents in plastic pouches. According to  Talking Retail, 

the decision to expand the product line is driven by the strong sales of the semi-skimmed milk pouches that Sainsbury’s introduced earlier. Milk is one of the retailer’s largest product categories, and the new pouch format is expected to bring an end to the reign of the traditional milk bottle, which has lasted for more than 130 years.

Currently, more than 120,000 pouches of semi-skimmed milk are sold each week. With the launch of the full range in pouch format, Sainsbury’s expects this figure to double. The expansion of production has also created 20 new jobs.

The launch of whole milk in pouches is expected in the coming days, while skimmed milk and 1% milk will appear on shelves only in June 2011. Introducing milk in polymer pouches will significantly reduce the amount of plastic household waste ending up in landfills. Producing the pouches requires 75 percent less raw material and is much more cost-efficient than manufacturing traditional plastic bottles.