Simonds Farsons Cisk plc, owner and producer of the ever-popular Kinnie brand, has announced that the bottles used for Kinnie, Kinnie Zest and Diet Kinnie in the 50cl size are now using 100% recycled PET (rPET). This phased launch is just the first step of a larger-scale and longer-term investment which eventually will see all PET bottles packaged by Simonds Farsons Cisk being made of 100% recycled PET. This is in line with UNESDA's commitment to only produce PET bottles made from 100% recycled PET and/or renewable PET by 2030 (*), and is well ahead of the EU's Single Use Plastics Directive 2019/904 (**) that stipulates a minimum rPET content of 25% by 2025 (**).
Simonds Farsons Cisk plc is a founding member of the Malta Beverage Producers Association, which in turn, is a member of UNESDA, a European association that represents the European soft drinks industry. UNESDA was established in 1958 and is based in Brussels.
"At Farsons we are firmly committed to reducing our carbon footprint, and ensuring that our packaging is as sustainable as possible, is just one of the many measures we are investing in. This launch is the first step in our journey and our ultimate target is for the full Kinnie range, as well as the rest of our soft drinks portfolio in PET bottles, to be packaged using 100% recycled PET," commented Ms Susan Weenink Camilleri, Head of Sales & Marketing at Simonds Farsons Cisk plc.
Recycled PET is PET plastic that has been recycled, reprocessed, and made into something new. Additionally, any packaging made from rPET can, in turn, be recycled. The use of rPET is fully in line with the principles of a circular economy.
This investment in 100% rPET complements the BCRS (Beverage Container Refund Scheme) which has recently announced a 74% collection rate per month since January 2023, with the average number of bottles collected per day being almost 675,000 (***).
"The longer-term vision of the beverage industry that packaging should never become waste is one which we fully endorse," continued Ms Weenink Camilleri.
Kinnie, Diet Kinnie and Kinnie Zest are produced, marketed and distributed by Simonds Farsons Cisk plc. Kinnie and its variants are available in 33cl cans, 25cl glass bottles and 50cl, 1 litre and 1.5 litre PET.