Unilever, a British-Dutch consumer goods company, said that by 2025 it will halve its use of virgin plastic, by reducing its absolute use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes and accelerating its use of recycled plastic.

The company added that it will also help collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells in a statement.

Unilever is already on track to achieve its existing commitments to ensure all of its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and to use at least 25 per cent recycled plastic in its packaging, also by 2025.

Alan Jope, Unilever CEO, 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.”

Unilever’s commitment will require the business to help collect and process around 600,000 tonnes of plastic annually by 2025. This will be delivered through investment and partnerships which improve waste management infrastructure in many of the countries in which Unilever operates.

“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. This is a daunting but exciting task which will help drive global demand for recycled plastic,” Jope added.

While Unilever’s decision to cut its plastic production may seem like a contrived attempt to connect with a younger generation, it is a necessary move for a brand trying to maintain its relevance and reputation, said GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

“According to GlobalData’s Q4 2018 consumer survey, 55 per cent of millennials and 45 per cent of Gen Z worldwide are always or often influenced by how environmentally friendly a product is – the strongest response across all age groups,” said Carmen Bryan, consumer analyst at GlobalData

“It is clear that ethical and sustainable practices in the supply chain will continue to grow in importance, particularly as the youths that champion these issues enter the workforce and become the next generation of business leaders. Greta Thunberg is an excellent example, with her voice reaching across continents and bringing visibility to the issue of sustainability like never before.

“The company’s CEO, Alan Jope, retains a fairly balanced stance on this issue, arguing that ‘a hysterical move to glass may be trendy but it would have a dreadful impact on the carbon footprint of packaging’. Rather, Jope has called for improved recycling infrastructure across UK councils, to improve the process and standardise labelling which will make it “easier for people to segment their waste.

“Unilever is just one of many companies to pledge a reduction in its plastic use, aligning the brand’s ethos to the sustainability narrative that is trending among younger consumers. The company currently produces 700,000 tonnes of new plastic a year and has pledged to reduce this number over the next five years by using more recycled plastic and sourcing alternative materials,” Bryan added. – TradeArabia News Service