US-based food manufacturing company Kellogg has unveiled plans to use 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by the end of 2025.

Kellog

Image: Kellogg has announced new global sustainable packaging goal. Photo: courtesy of KELLOGG CO.

The new packaging goal is an extension to global sustainability commitments of Kellogg.

The company’s decision builds on its existing goal to make sure that all timber-based packaging is either recycled or certified as sustainably-sourced by the end of the decade.

Kellogg Company chairman and CEO Steve Cahillane said: “Nurturing our planet is a foundational value of Kellogg.

“It’s imperative we are part of a solution that ensures a healthy and sustainable planet for all people around the world.”

As per the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling globally and just 5% of it is retained for secondary use, of the 311 million tons of plastic produced each year.

In April this year, Kellogg announced the shift to compostable and paper food service products in all of its plants and offices across the globe as part of its efforts to turn green its own facilities.

The move will result in the full elimination of all remaining single-use foam and plastic serviceware, plastic straws and plastic water bottles.

Kellogg is also working with its suppliers to identify packaging designs, which restrict waste and ensure the quality and safety of its foods.

In Europe, the firm has launched a project to use recycle-ready material in its cereal pouches by the end of 2019, enabling to remove an estimated 480 tons of non-recyclable packaging from its supply chain each year.

Kellogg global packaging senior director Lou Massari said: “We cannot accomplish this ambitious goal alone, and we will collaborate with new and existing external partners, our customers and other innovators to identify packaging solutions that protect and enhance our foods while delivering on the quality and great taste that consumers expect from us.”

The company markets its products through brands such as Pringles, Cheez-It, Keebler, Special K, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Rice Krispies, Eggo, Mini-Wheats, Kashi and RXBAR.