UK Farm Company Cuts Plastic Packaging 63% With New Design

A British biostimulants company just found a way to dramatically cut plastic waste while making life easier for farmers and saving money.

Orion Future Technologies introduced a new "bag in a box" packaging system that reduces plastic use by 63% compared to traditional rigid containers. The design works like boxed wine, with a flexible inner bladder inside a cardboard case that dispenses crop nutrients without the bulky plastic jugs that have dominated agriculture for decades.

The timing couldn't be better. Plastic prices have jumped more than 40% since conflict escalated in the Middle East earlier this year, squeezing both manufacturers and farmers. Instead of passing those costs along, Orion agronomist Mike Stoker saw an opportunity to rethink the whole system.

"As a UK manufacturer of biostimulants, Orion has seen this as an opportunity to manage our cost of production and protect our customers by reducing the plastic needed to package our products," Stoker explains. The new format also lowers storage and transport costs, shrinking the carbon footprint even further.

For farmers during busy seasons like silage making, the practical benefits add up quickly. The bag dispenses smoothly without the annoying "glugging" of rigid containers, and the design keeps air from returning into the product after each use, maintaining shelf life. When empty, farmers can extract the plastic bladder, rinse it three times, and recycle it along with the cardboard box.

The Ripple Effect

This innovation arrives at a critical moment for British agriculture. The UK produces roughly 135,500 tonnes of agricultural plastic waste every year, yet only 20 to 30% gets recycled into new products, according to government and industry estimates. That leaves tens of thousands of tonnes ending up in landfills or worse.

Orion's solution proves that sustainability and profitability can work together. Buying groups focused on environmental credentials now have a practical option to offer members. Farmers get easier handling and lower costs. Manufacturers protect margins without compromising quality.

The company acknowledges the packaging still contains plastic, but Stoker sees it as meaningful progress. "It is a fraction of what has been used in the past and we see it as a big step in the right direction," he says.

Sometimes the best innovations aren't revolutionary technology but simple redesigns that make doing the right thing easier for everyone involved.