Wednesday 24 October 2018

Unilever and Veolia join forces for sustainable plastic packaging

Unilever and Veolia have signed an agreement to collaborate on creating a circular economy for plastic packaging.

The consumer goods giant and waste management company will work together to develop innovative solutions to improve the global waste collection and recycling infrastructure.

Statistics from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation reveal just 14% of the plastic packaging used globally is collected for recycling after use, with 40% ending up in landfill and a third in fragile ecosystems.

The three-year partnership will see the companies help create a circular economy in India and Indonesia initially, focusing on material collection which will help channel recycled content back into the value chain.

Laurent Auguste, Senior Executive Vice-President of Veolia for Development, Innovation and Markets said: “There is an undeniable need to transform the current way plastic packaging end of life is managed in order to reduce significantly its environmental footprint. It will take a collaboration of a new kind between all the actors of the value chain.

“With this global partnership, Veolia and Unilever join forces in various geographies around the globe and, from the collection to the recycling, take a leadership role to redefine a responsible and sustainable future for packaging”.

Last year, Unilever made a commitment to ensure all its plastic packaging will be designed to be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.