Call identifier:

CIP-EIP-Eco-lnnovation-2009 / 256062

Summary

Specific Objectives

This project focuses on a novel technology to replace plastic milk bottles.  The GREENBOTTLE solution is 75% recycled material, uses 25% of the plastic of an equivalent plastic bottle and has reduced the carbon footprint by approx 50%. GREENBOTTLE consists of a moulded recycled waste outer shell with a thin, loose plastic or biopolymer inner liner.  The liner protects the milk from the recycled material and vice-versa.  At the end of the product life the consumer can easily separate the two components which fit into existing  paper or plastic recycling streams.

To date GREENBOTTLE has been developed and validated in low production volumes however we now wish to transfer the concept to high speed high volume production and validate the complete supply chain for waste material used to produce GREENBOTTLE.  Currently bottle moulding is located outside the EU, while assembly and filling takes place at the GB facility at Marybelle Dairy in Suffolk. Each of these three production lines are now operational, producing ‘first production’ quantities. Our objectives for this project are:

• Establish and organise a consistent source of re-cycled paper – the objective here is to use post consumer waste from offices and therefore establish a closed loop for the paper;
• Establish a quality control procedure and standards for the above sources of re-cycled material;
• To gain a greater understanding of the manufacturing process of the GREENBOTTLE to take production rates from 5 per minute to 80 per minute.
• Recycle over 5520 tonnes of paper in the first year;
• Establish and demonstrate a complete GREENBOTTLE supply chain (waste paper – manufacture – bottle filling – distribution – retail outlet – recycle);
• Ensuring that the disposal of the bottle is consistent with existing recycling criteria throughout the EU.
• Continue the development of the high speed assembly technology.
• Consolidate all moulding, assembly and filling within the EU.

Proposed solution and work programme summary

The work package titles are as follows:

1. Management of the project
2. Moulded Product development – development of the moulding process to manufacture bottles from recycled paper at high speed
3. Assembly machine development – to translate the current hand assembly operation into a high speed automated assembly process
4. Milk bottle filling – to evaluate the high speed filling of the GREENBOTTLE on existing high speed filling line technology and equipment and to optimise the filling performance.
5. Closure methods – to develop new closure methods and GREENBOTTLES for other applications which require development of different liner materials.
6. Closed-loop paper supply – to identify & secure sources of waste paper and to liaise with recycling facilities across the EU in order to ensure that the GREENBOTTLE will be accepted into the general recycling streams.
7. Business plan – to translate the project deliverables into a business plan to exploit of commercial opportunities arising from the project.
8. Dissemination activities – to increase awareness of our project and to spread usage of the technologies beyond our initial markets.