Pizza Hut has teamed up with one of its key pizza box suppliers Smurfit Westrock to promote pizza box recycling awareness among customers in Louisville, Kentucky, US.

The initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance sustainability practices within the packaging sector.

The partnership is grounded in research by Smurfit Westrock, which confirms that pizza boxes can be recycled, including those with grease, provided that the local recycling infrastructure supports it.

It is estimated that approximately 75% of the US population has access to recycling facilities for used pizza boxes.

Pizza Hut global senior manager of sustainability Emily True said: "At Pizza Hut, we've always been focused on giving our customers the best pizza possible and an important part of the experience is the pizza box.

"Once our customers are done enjoying their pizza, we want them to understand how they can play an important role in making sure boxes get a second life."

Pizza Hut uses recyclable corrugated cardboard for its pizza boxes to promote sustainability.

In the US, at least 35% of the cardboard used in Pizza Hut's boxes is made from recycled content. The brand is also engaging in consumer education and collaborating with influential groups to guide local governments on the recyclability of cardboard pizza boxes.

More than three billion pizza boxes are consumed annually in the US market, and so the partnerships of packaging companies with customer-facing companies such as Pizza Hut are considered essential to reach and educate consumers for improved packaging circularity.

Smurfit Westrock North America senior vice-president of Forestry and Recycled Fiber Kevin Hudson said: "Recycling corrugated material is a fairly simple, straightforward process that contributes to improving circularity in packaging.

"Awareness is a critical first step, but sustainable results can only be achieved when consumers, manufacturers, brands and communities work collectively to recycle pizza boxes, and we're grateful for the opportunity to work with Pizza Hut, haulers and local municipalities to improve circularity in the Louisville market."

In August this year, Pizza Hut launched a new pizza box design that converted into a mini tabletop for added convenience.