Mondelez International, Inc., announced that it has joined two leading initiatives focussed on tackling plastic waste and pollution, as the company accelerates its efforts to reduce its impact on people and the planet.
The company is now a signatory of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, as well as a participant in the New Plastics Economy Initiative, and a member of the UK Plastics Pact.
The initiatives share a collective ambition to address plastic waste and pollution at its source, by moving toward a circular economy where plastic stays in the economy and out of the environment.
The announcement marks an important step forward in the company’s ambition to create positive impact for people and planet and achieve zero-net waste packaging.
As part of a long-term commitment to reduce environmental impact, the company set 2025 packaging innovation targets to ensure 100 per cent of packaging is designed to be recycled, contains on-pack recycling information and contributes to the company’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions.
Till date, 93 per cent of the company’s total packaging, including both plastic and non-plastic, is designed to be recycled.
Beyond this significant progress the announcement advances the company’s leadership role in calling for and participating in sector-wide collaboration to identify and scaleup innovation, harmonise packaging formats to make recycling easier and improve waste management infrastructure.
“We believe that sector-wide initiatives, in collaboration with government, are key to reducing the impact of packaging on our planet,” said Christine Montenegro McGrath, vice president of sustainability and global impact at Mondelez International.
“Through our partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and in joining The UK Plastics Pact, we are accelerating our work toward creating zero net waste packaging and improving recycling globally, and we are fully committed to their vision,” she added.
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment has set ambitious 2025 targets which the company, along with signatories from government, business and other organisations, has formally endorsed. As part of the global commitment, the company will work towards the following:
Take action to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025
100 per cent of plastic packaging to be reusable or recyclable
Use 5 per cent recycled content (by weight) across all plastic packaging used
Take action to move from single-use towards reuse models where relevant
“The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment unites businesses, governments and others behind a clear vision of a circular economy for plastic. We are pleased Mondelez International is joining us as a New Plastics Economy Participant and Global Commitment signatory, by setting concrete 2025 targets.“
“Our vision is for a world where plastic never becomes waste or pollution. It will be a challenging journey, but by coming together we can eliminate the plastics we don’t need and innovate, so the plastics we do need can be safely and easily circulated – keeping them in the economy and out of the environment,” said Sander Defruyt, lead of the New Plastics Economy Initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
As a member of the UK Plastics Pact, which is the first in a global network of pacts which are aligned with, and support the New Plastics Economy initiative, the company commits to working towards delivering the UK Plastics Pact 2025 targets by:
Eliminating unnecessary and problematic packaging and plastic products
Ensuring all plastic packaging is recyclable in practice
Using recycled plastic in our packaging wherever possible
“We are delighted to have Mondelez International sign up to The UK Plastics Pact. Through our first-of-a-kind pact we are working together with governments, citizens and business to transform the way we make, use and dispose of plastic so that we retain its value, but prevent it from polluting the environment,” said Marcus Gover, CEO, WRAP, the organisation behind the pact.
Joining these initiatives furthers the company’s 2025 sustainability goals which are focussed on making snacks with less energy, water and waste.
These goals are designed to address climate change in a meaningful way and are based on an end-to-end, science-based approach to reducing the company’s carbon footprint, including reducing absolute CO2 emissions from manufacturing and addressing deforestation in key raw material supply chains.