Kiwi celebs back Anchor's plant-based milk bottle plans

Kimberly Crossman, Richie McCaw and Stacey Morrison are supportive of Fonterra's move towards plant-based bottles. Photo / Supplied

Anchor says it has created the world's first plant-based milk bottle.

The dairy brand, owned by co-operative Fonterra, has created a new 2l milk bottle made from sugarcane - a renewable and sustainably sourced material, which it hopes to roll out widely as part of its move to reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025.

Anchor Blue 2l in the plant-based bottle will be stocked on shelves across the North Island from October 13. It will begin with making 300,000 Blue 2l bottles per month.

The company says sugarcane captures CO2 from the atmosphere as it grows, resulting in a bottle that also has a low carbon footprint. The sugarcane is made into plant-based HDPE plastic in Brazil and the bottle itself is made here in New Zealand.

Brett Henshaw, Fonterra Brands New Zealand managing director, said Anchor wanted to offer consumers a product that came in more sustainable packaging.

"This plant-based milk bottle is an important component in Fonterra's wider sustainability strategy. We have also committed to moving towards renewable energy in transport and manufacturing and finding ways to manage and reduce our emissions over the whole supply chain," Henshaw said.

According to research from the Sustainable Business Council, sustainability is becoming increasingly important for New Zealanders, with 71 per cent of Kiwis actively researching the sustainability practices of brands before making a product purchase.

Two prominent New Zealanders – Richie McCaw and Stacey Morrison – have welcomed the move to sustainable packaging by Anchor.

"I grew up on a farm, and my sister is now a dairy farmer – innovations such as this are really important for the environment, as well as our dairy industry," the former All Blacks captain said.

Broadcaster Morrison said: "As a family we always look at ways to reduce our footprint or make small changes that help us live more sustainably, we're not perfect, but we're trying. That mindset is important to me because it's an effort to look after Aotearoa for our kids, and future generations."

The company hopes to increase the number of product it sends out in sugarcane bottles if consumer demand warrants it.

Research into the new bottle shows that people are looking for products that are sustainably produced and they liked the plant-based bottle concept versus traditional fossil fuel-based plastic alternatives.

Milk in Anchor's new plant-based bottle will go on sale from October 13. Photo / Supplied

Anchor commissioned an independent life cycle assessment of the bottle which concluded this plant-based HDPE also has a lower carbon footprint than conventional fossil fuel-based HDPE, which most plastic milk bottles in New Zealand are made from.

"Responsible businesses have an important role to play in addressing sustainability in packaging, so it's really encouraging to see a prominent business like Fonterra undertake new trials and innovation in the packaging space as we look to transition to a circular economy," Kate Haselhoff, project and partnership manager at the Sustainable Business Network, said.