Recently, Unilever conducted a study that found 33% of consumers choose to buy from brands that they believe are doing social or environmental good. The company then pledged to make all of its plastic packaging will be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
In addition, Unilever has launched the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan in which it has promised to reduce the weight of its packaging by one third by 2020 and increase its use of recycled plastic content in packaging by at least 25%.
Unilever has also committed to…
- Invest in proving and sharing with the industry a technical solution to recycle multi-layered sachets, especially in coastal areas where there is an increased chance of plastics making it into the ocean
- Renew its membership of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and support its New Plastics Economy Initiative
- Publish a full “palette” of plastics materials used in its packaging by 2020 to help develop a plastics protocol for the industry
Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, said, “Our plastic packaging plays a critical role in making our products appealing, safe and enjoyable for our consumers. Yet it is clear that if we want to continue to reap the benefits of this versatile material, we need to do much more as an industry to help ensure it is managed responsibly and efficiently post-consumer use.
