Unilever has also pledged to collect and process more plastic packaging than it uses by 2025, which would see the company tackle 600,000 tonnes annually
Unilever says it wants to have a virgin plastic footprint no higher than 350,000 tonnes by 2025 (Credit: Unilever)
Consumer goods company Unilever has committed to halving its use of virgin plastic packaging by 2025.
The firm — known for brands including Dove, Ben & Jerry’s and Lipton — says it will achieve this by investing in reusable or refillable solutions, using alternative materials to make products and increasing its use of recycled plastic.
Unilever has also pledged to have a virgin plastic packaging footprint of no more than 350,000 tonnes by 2025.
CEO Alan Jope said: “Plastic has its place, but that place is not in the environment.
“We can only eliminate plastic waste by acting fast and taking radical action at all points in the plastic cycle.
“Our starting point has to be design, reducing the amount of plastic we use and then making sure that what we do use increasingly comes from recycled sources.
“We are also committed to ensuring all our plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable.
“This demands a fundamental rethink in our approach to our packaging and products. It requires us to introduce new and innovative packaging materials and scale up new business models, like re-use and re-fill formats, at an unprecedented speed and intensity.”
“Our vision is a world in which everyone works together to ensure that plastic stays in the economy and out of the environment.
“Our plastic is our responsibility and so we are committed to collecting back more than we sell, as part of our drive towards a circular economy.
Unilever to collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells by 2025
To boost its commitment to driving down its use of virgin plastic, Unilever will use what it calls “no plastic” solutions.
This will include innovations the company has brought to market, such as refillable toothpaste tablets, cardboard deodorant sticks and bamboo toothbrushes.
Alongside this, the firm has committed to collect and process more plastic packaging than its sells by 2025.
This will see the business help to collect and process around 600,000 tonnes of plastic annually.
This will see Unilever invest and partner in waste collection and processing, incorporate recycled plastic in packaging, and take part in extended producer responsibility schemes where it finances collection of its waste packaging.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation‘s founder Dame Ellen MacArthur said: “Today’s announcement by Unilever is a significant step in creating a circular economy for plastic.
“By eliminating unnecessary packaging through innovations such as refill, re-use, and concentrates, while increasing their use of recycled plastic, Unilever is demonstrating how businesses can move away from virgin plastics.
“We urge others to follow their lead, so collectively we can eliminate the plastic we don’t need, innovate, so what we do need is circulated, and ultimately build an economic system where plastic packaging never becomes waste.”