Mondelez International commits to making all packaging recyclable

The company says it  will work in partnerships so that packaging can be collected and recycled in markets around the world. This new commitment is part of the company’s stated strategy for a circular packaging economy and will help deliver its long-term vision for zero-net waste packaging.

The announcement, says the company,  reflects its, “…new purpose to empower people to snack right by offering the right snack, at the right time, in the right way. This includes ensuring that the company’s products are made with ingredients that are sustainably sourced, produced and delivered, with positive impact along the supply chain.”

Says Rob Hargrove, Executive Vice President, Research, Development, Quality and Innovation. “Plastic waste and its impact on the planet is a broad, systemic issue that our consumers care deeply about, and which requires a holistic response. Together with partners from across the industry, as well as public and private entities, we can help to develop practical solutions that result in a positive environmental impact.”

The company’s strategy aims to deliver against its long-term vision for zero-net waste packaging by addressing two objectives: making it easier for consumers to recycle packaging and supporting industry coalitions to improve recycling rates.

Mondelēz International says it  has already made substantial progress to minimise the environmental impact of packaging. Most of the company’s packaging is already recycled, recyclable or recycle-ready. Around 75 per cent of its packaging is comprised of glass, paper or metal and around 70 per cent of paper-based packaging is from recycled sources. Hundreds of optimisation programs, says the company, have reduced packaging in recent years. As examples, it cites in the UK, Cadbury Heroes tubs redesigned to use 17 per cent less plastic, resulting in 30 per cent fewer trucks to transport them; in Asia, Middle East and Africa, improvements to secondary packs and shippers for chocolate products saved more than 1 million kg of corrugated paper and in the UK Oreo cookies packaging was made 23 per cent thinner, reducing the need for nearly 1.5 million kg of cartons annually.