Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem. Every year, millions of tons of plastic end up in our oceans, where they can take hundreds of years to break down. This plastic can harm marine life, pollute beaches, and enter the food chain.
Unilever is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. It produces a wide range of products, including food, homecare, and personal care products. Unilever has a long history of sustainability initiatives, and it is committed to reducing plastic waste.
Unilever’s Sustainable Packaging Goals
In 2010, Unilever launched its Sustainable Living Plan (USLP). The USLP is a comprehensive set of sustainability goals that cover the company’s entire value chain. One of the key goals of the USLP is to reduce plastic waste.
By 2025, Unilever aims to:
- Halve its use of virgin plastic.
- Collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells.
- Ensure that 100% of its plastic packaging is designed to be fully reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
- Use 25% recycled plastic in its packaging.
- Unilever’s Progress on Sustainable Packaging
Unilever has made significant progress on its sustainable packaging goals. In 2022, the company used 21% recycled plastic in its packaging. It also collected and processed more than 58% of its plastic packaging footprint.
Unilever has also made progress in reducing its use of virgin plastic. In 2022, the company’s absolute use of plastic packaging decreased by 13% compared to 2019.
Unilever’s Sustainable Packaging Innovations
Unilever is constantly innovating to find new ways to reduce plastic waste. Some of the company’s recent sustainable packaging innovations include:
- Recyclable paper food sachets for Colman’s. These sachets are made from 100% recyclable paper, and they are designed to be easy to open and close.
- Recyclable glass soup bottles from Knorr. These bottles are made from 100% recycled glass, and they are 100% recyclable.
- Paper ice cream tubs from Carte D’Or, Ben & Jerry’s, and Wall’s. These tubs are made from 100% paper, and they are designed to be compostable.
- Persil laundry capsules in plastic-free boxes. These boxes are made from 100% paper, and they can be fully recycled as paper in France.
Unilever is a leader in the fight against plastic pollution. The company is committed to reducing its use of virgin plastic, collecting and processing more plastic packaging, and ensuring that all of its plastic packaging is recyclable or compostable. Unilever’s sustainable packaging innovations are helping to make a difference, and the company is well on track to meet its 2025 goals.
