Prism’s recyclable sleeve cuts EPR fees and maximises space

Packaging specialist Prism eLogistics has delivered a fully recyclable shrink sleeving solution for gut-health brand Bio&Me’s new functional kefir range. The breakthrough marks a major category first for the dairy industry, solving a long-standing conflict between strict product preservation laws and environmental sustainability.

To support the rollout of its immunity, energy, and protein-focused kefir drinks, Bio&Me required a material format that could protect the live cultures inside without resorting to standard, non-recyclable structural materials. Prism’s solution eliminates traditional composite plastics entirely, establishing a new blueprint for sustainable liquid dairy production.

Eliminating opaque white plastic

Traditionally, liquid dairy products rely on opaque white plastic bottles to block out light and maintain food safety compliance. However, coloured and pigmented white plastics are notoriously difficult to process in mechanical sorting facilities, often ending up in landfills and subjecting brands to higher Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) financial penalties.

Prism bypassed this hurdle by pairing a standard clear bottle with fully recyclable EcoFloat shrink sleeving.

The engineering secret lies in the density of the polyolefin EcoFloat material. During the automated recycling wash process, the sleeve cleanly detaches and floats to the top, while the clear bottle plastic sinks. This allows for a clean, automated separation, rendering 100% of the container fully circular.

For dairy and functional beverage brands, this category-first development yields critical commercial, environmental, and marketing advantages:

• Drastic reduction in EPR fees: moving away from hard-to-recycle pigmented white plastics directly lowers a manufacturer’s Extended Producer Responsibility financial liability.

• Maximum brandable canvas: unlike small spot labels, the full-body shrink sleeve expands the usable print surface across the entire height of the bottle. This gives brand teams ample room to communicate complex functional health claims and nutritional data clearly.

• Uncompromised light barrier protection: the printed sleeve provides the exact density required by food safety regulations to protect light-sensitive dairy proteins and live active cultures from degradation.

By choosing an innovative material format over traditional structural norms, the partnership demonstrates that strict regulatory compliance can comfortably coexist with striking shelf standout and environmental circularity.

“Our new functional kefir range is shaking up dairy, and we wanted the pioneering nature of the products to be reflected by the packaging,” notes Mark Isaacson, chief operating officer at Bio&Me. “By rejecting the standard white plastic and label format, we developed an alternative that is better for consumers, retailers and the environment.”

Ian Wright, managing director at Prism eLogistics, added: “As more and more manufacturers move away from the use of coloured plastics, we believe recyclable shrink sleeving provides an alternative which can not only reduce a brand’s environmental impact and associated fees, but which can improve visibility and expand on-product marketing opportunities.”

The newly packaged Bio&Me functional kefir range is currently rolling out across major UK retail channels and independent grocery networks.