Published date: September 2025
Baseline data year: 2022
This analysis highlights the dominance of plastic bottles in UK milk packaging, showing that bottle tonnage remains over five times higher than cartons. While cartons are increasingly used for UHT milk due to sterilisation benefits, fresh milk cartons are also on the rise as some suppliers shift from bottles to reduce plastic use.
The most common carton size is 1 litre, reflecting industry standards. Despite this growth, plastic bottles continue to represent the majority of milk packaging placed on the market, underscoring the scale of plastic use and the opportunities for more sustainable alternatives.
Valpak’s Plastic PackFlow 2025 Methodology Review strengthens the methodologies used to estimate UK plastic packaging placed on the market, introducing updated 2024 baseline data, improved robustness assessments, and evidence to support packaging policy, regulatory development, and informed industry decision-making.
Read MoreValpak partnered with Zero Waste Scotland to deliver the Textiles Flow Into and Within Scotland research, offering a clearer picture of national textile flows and future policy considerations. Download the full reports and explore how strong data supports effective stewardship.
Read MoreCommissioned by WRAP and delivered by Valpak Consulting with expert support, this report reviews the quantity of wood packaging placed on the UK market (POM) and recycled in 2014. It also projects future POM figures and recycling rates through to 2020.
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