Suffolk’s own ‘Green’ milk bottle aims to see off plastic rivals

GreenBottle was first piloted in the Lowestoft branch of ASDA in May 2007. With the same semi-skimmed milk selling at a similar price in a new, eco-friendly, bottle, local shoppers couldn’t resist trying it out and all 400 bottles were sold.

After a year of testing, in-home sampling with local shoppers, and positive encouragement from across the East of England, GreenBottle is ready to roll out in ASDA stores, starting with the Lowestoft store that made it a success.

Chief Executive, Simon King, says, “We are very pleased to be working with Marybelle and ASDA in East Anglia to roll out the GreenBottle. The Suffolk community has been very supportive of the product in trials and consumer surveys. We are now working with ASDA on plans to roll out to further stores in the UK. As a result of this support, dairies across the UK will also be able to benefit from the technology.”

GreenBottle worked extensively with Oystar Dawson in Bury St. Edmunds to develop the automation machine, and now Suffolk-based dairy, Marybelle, will be the first in the UK to use it in order to provide semi-skimmed milk to stores in a GreenBottle. James Strachan, Director of Marybelle Dairy says “The GreenBottle system is the single biggest leap forward in dairy manufacturing technology in years. We are thrilled to be able to offer our customers the same high quality milk, in a more sustainable, high quality bottle.”

Chris Brown, Head of Ethical and Sustainable Sourcing at ASDA says “Milk is one of our highest selling products, and as such, we have a responsibility to develop alternative packaging making it easier for our customers to go green and to help them recycle at home. The Green Bottle is robust, practical and fit for purpose, meaning there is no danger of spilled milk at breakfast time.”