Plant-Based Bottle FAQ's

We know sustainability is important to Kiwis and we want to offer consumers an option to make change for good - to purchase a product that comes in more sustainable packaging.  

Initially our new plant-based bottles will only be available across the North Island due to initial phased supply of 300,000 plant based bottles per month - this means we would not be able to adequately service our South Island consumers and customers.

Its early days and we will be monitoring the demand for the new bottle.

Anchor Blue 2L is one of NZ’s most popular milks and this will give us a good indication as to how people will respond to more sustainable offerings.
 

We have commissioned an independent life cycle assessment of our plant based milk bottle -which concluded that this plant- based HDPE has a lower carbon footprint than conventional HDPE made from fossil fuels, which most plastic milk bottles in New Zealand are made from. 

The bottle is made in Auckland by our current bottle supplier. The plant-based HDPE is sustainably sourced from Brazil.

Yes. The bottle is 100% kerbside recyclable.

No.  New Zealand’s composting sites are not large enough to deal with large volumes of milk bottles. So we decided to use 100% kerbside recyclable HDPE made from sugarcane, because it can be recycled here in New Zealand, using existing infrastructure we already have

We know that New Zealanders care about the environment and this is one small thing we can all do to help.

Sustainably sourced from Brazil.

Brazil is one of the largest growers of sugarcane and was also the pioneer for the technology that processes sugarcane into ethanol and then into plastic. Our chosen plant-based HDPE supplier is a member of Bonsucro, and we are too.  Bonsucro was founded in 2005 to promote & certify sustainable sugarcane production, processing and trade around the world. Their mission is to ensure that responsible sugarcane production creates lasting value for the communities, businesses, economies and eco-systems in all cane-growing origins.)

Braskem. This innovative plant-based plastic is also used by other companies in NZ such as EcoStore and All Birds.

We have been actively working with councils and companies to come up with recycling solutions and collaborations to improve the recycling and circularity in New Zealand. Some of these partners include Future Post and Paper4Trees.

The milk is the same as our standard Anchor Blue milk – all natural from our New Zealand dairy farms.

Our sugarcane-based HDPE supplier has implemented a Code of Conduct for Ethanol Suppliers that is part of the “National Commitment to Social Assistance” program, which ascribes rights to workers and ensures them a better quality of life. The code covers 5 pillars – reduction of cane burning, conserving biodiversity, good environmental practices, respect for human rights and life cycle assessment.
 

Our supplier is a member of Bonsucro, and we are also now members of Bonsucro. Bonsucro is a global non-profit organisation founded in 2005 that exists to promote & certify sustainable sugarcane production, processing and trade around the world. Their mission is to ensure that responsible sugarcane production creates lasting value for the communities, businesses, economies and eco-systems in all cane-growing origins.