Food processor 2 Sisters pledges to cut down use of plastic by 2020

One of the region's biggest food producers has announced a crackdown on the use of plastic in its operations.

2 Sisters Food Group, which has chicken processing plants at Thetford and Flixton near Bungay, wants 90% of all its packaging to be recyclable by 2020.

It will also phase out the use of disposable coffee cups and bottles by the end of this year, with recycling points installed on its 36 sites.

The producer also wants to work with retailers and suppliers to drive up packaging recycling and make use of improving technology.

Ranjit Singh, president of Boparan Holdings Limited, said: 'Plastic packaging has played a critical role in reducing food waste and extending shelf life of products, but the environmental impact of this material must be addressed by the whole food system.

'We need a culture change to make the biggest difference – both in the way we use plastics for our products and how we use plastics in our everyday lives. So we're totally committed to putting in place some stretching targets I know my teams in the business are eager to achieve in the next 20 months.

'We already operate responsibly and through our company's sustainability plan, called Feeding Our Future, but we are keen to take things further than ever before. We have collaborated with our suppliers, partners and customers on reducing and improving recyclability of plastic packaging for several years, and now we will do so again to achieve a real step-change by 2020.

'This is a complex issue that requires the involvement, collaboration and innovation of all parties involved in the production, distribution, retail and consumption of food, and we want to act as the lead partner in this.'

2 Sisters Food Group says it will report publicly on the progress of its strategy in a year's time.

On Monday, Waitrose announced it would remove disposable coffee cups from some East Anglian stores, including Norwich, Wymondham and Ipswich, in a trial to reduce its waste.