Nestlé pledges to make all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025

Nestlé has pledged to make all its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, becoming the latest food company to vow to reduce its plastic waste. 

The Swiss company said that it is focusing on three core areas: eliminating non-recyclable plastics, encouraging the use of plastics that allow better recycling rates, and eliminating or changing complex combinations of packaging materials.

“Nestlé is making a clear announcement today on the future of its packaging,” noted Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK & Ireland.
 
“Around the world, we will be throwing our efforts behind making all of our packaging either recyclable or reusable by 2025.

“Packaging is fundamental to our business and crucial in delivering safe, high-quality food to our consumers as well as reducing food waste," he added.

"What today’s announcement recognises is that we need to do more to address the sustainability of the packaging we use.”

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The pledge comes as European governments have increasingly ramped up their efforts to reduce the amount of plastic waste littering land and sea. 

As a result, more and more food and beverage companies have made pledges to use packaging more sustainably.

Last week, Nestlé's rival Unilever revealed that it had forged a partnership with startup Ioniqa to pioneer a new technology which converts polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste back into virgin grade material for use in food packaging.

The Anglo-Dutch consumer group also committed to asking all of its packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. 

“Plastic waste is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today,” said Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider.
 
“Tackling it requires a collective approach. We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, reuse and recycle. Our ambition is to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025.”