June 2005 saw the launch of a major packaging recycling initiative for the leading UK retailer, Marks and Spencer. The company has re-launched it's "Food to go" range of sandwiches, snacks and beverages using as much as 50% recycled plastic in the products packaging.

It is the first time that recycled PET has been used in such high-profile, high-volume product line in the UK, and the company has said that this six month trial will involve marketing and consumer research to evaluate it’s effectiveness.

The trial packaging hit Marks and Spencer's shelves in stores across the UK earlier this month. Packs containing recycled PET carry on-pack declarations and messages - such as "packaging made from 50% recycled material, 100% recyclable" - and will carry the closed loop recycling logo.

To further encourage closed loop recycling Marks and Spencer will also provide recycling bins at the front of four central London stores for the collection of used plastic containers that are suitable for closed loop recycling.

Helen Roberts, Marks and Spencer's Packaging Manager, is very positive about the trial. "The recycling of plastic packaging in the UK is still a major challenge and as a result, our customers have difficulty seeing any type of plastic as sustainable," she says. "We believe that this project can help improve recycling levels and the customer's perception of plastic packaging."

The Marks and Spencer project is one of three WRAP-funded trials launched in January this year to investigate the use of post-consumer recycled PET in retail packaging. Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd and Boots are carrying out the other two trials, which will be underway later in the summer.