Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Environmentally-conscious consumers are increasingly demanding a move away from plastic packaging, and businesses are starting to heed the call.
Many stores like Lulu Hypermarket in the kingdom have already launched initiatives to encourage shoppers to carry reusable, longer-lasting alternatives to throw-away plastic bags.
Now campaigners are suggesting dairies in the region look at bringing back more glass bottles to its product lines.
One US farm has identified a few different routes to cut back on plastic packaging, including putting taps filled with their milk into local cold stores, which may inspire others to follow suit across the globe.
Others have identified another way forward. They are planning to stock glass bottles on store shelves. The initial purchase price would include a deposit. If the customer returns the glass bottle and exchanges it for a new one, that next purchase will be the same price as its plastic-clad partner.
“What people think of as the nostalgic, old-school milk is whole milk,” Mary Tuck of Kalispell Kreamery said. “Once the project gets going, it should be self-sustainable.”
The change would keep more plastic out of landfills and supporters suggest there are other important benefits to drinking milk out of glass bottles. “Milk does taste better when it comes from glass,” said one. It also looks better, she said, since the transparent glass allows a consumer to see the cream-on-top separation.
