The Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) UK Plastics Pact, has marked its first anniversary of the unique collaboration of business, NGOs and Government with a progress update from members. It includes updates from Nestlé, a founding member of The Pact and the world’s largest food and drinks producer, on how the business is working to transform the plastic packaging system in the UK and keep plastic in the economy and out of the ocean.
Nestlé reported on action taken and actions planned on the four targets set out by WRAP:
- Target 1: Eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use packaging through redesign, innovation or alternative (reuse) delivery model.
- Target 2: 100% of plastics packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable.
- Target 3: 70% of plastics packaging effectively recycled or composted.
- Target 4: 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
Tangible progress has been made by Nestlé in the last year. Actions taken include; the introduction of reusable coffee cups to head office sites; the removal of non-recyclable black caps on the majority of Nescafé products; the launch of the Nescafé Dolce Gusto recycling programme in the UK and reaching a milestone of an average 20% recycled content across Buxton and Nestlé Pure Life water bottles.
Nestlé also reported on its planned actions to meet the four Plastics Pact targets, these include; the phasing out of hard to recycle plastics across all Nestlé packaging; individual category roadmaps to identify solutions for challenging packaging by 2025; new recycling design rules fully for Nestlé packaging developers and suppliers, and the development of alternatives to plastic packaging where feasible. In addition, Nestlé announced it will developing clearer UK recycling guidance for all packaging to be complete by early 2021.
To read the full report and see progress against the four target by others members of the by the UK Plastics Pact visit the WRAP website (pdf, 1Mb).