The milk float operator is working with its supplier to source more durable bottles and has adapted its machinery to reduce contact between the bottles and the side of the filling lines to reduce damage. It also installs scanners that can identify bottles reaching the end of their life – when tiny cracks in the surface blur them – so they can be pulled individually rather than replacing the bottles en masse after a set period of time. Patrick Müller, the chief executive, said Milk & More, which sells more than a million liters of milk and milk alternatives a week, was also urging customers to return more bottles to ensure they could be reused. The changes come as the cost of glass bottles has more than doubled in recent years, with limited availability amid growing global demand from manufacturers due to consumers’ desire to avoid plastic and a return to business as usual as pandemic restrictions are lifted. While the UK glass industry has said there is no shortage of bottles in Britain, manufacturers across Europe are struggling to keep up with demand, having curtailed production in the past when many drinks makers switched to lighter and cheaper plastics. The rise in glass prices is on top of a 72% rise in the price of milk, while renewable electricity, used to power 40% of the group’s fleet, or 500 vehicles, has tripled in price. Subscribe to the Business Today daily email or follow Guardian Business on Twitter @BusinessDesk Müller said the number of customers has remained stable at around 350,000, although this is down from the height of the coronavirus pandemic when numbers topped 400,000 as households sought home deliveries in a bid to avoid busy stores. While some shoppers have returned to supermarkets, Müller said new customers are attracted by a desire for more sustainable ways to buy goods, including using less plastic. Milk & More now sells laundry detergent, shampoo and other household essentials in refillable glass bottles, as well as dry foods such as cereal, sugar and pasta in refillable tubs, which are dropped off and picked up at the doorstep.
