Mondelēz International Announces Significant Packaging Innovation with Philadelphia Tubs and Lids Set to be Made with Recycled Plastic

LONDON 1st June 2020 – Mondelēz International today announced that Philadelphia cream cheese sold in the UK and Europe is to be made with recycled plastic packaging, starting from 2022. The iconic brand will pioneer this packaging innovation, representing an important step in the company’s goal to reduce its impact on the environment and its commitment to use 5% recycled content across all plastic packaging.

The move follows the recent change in the UK to make Dairylea Lunchables packaging with 75% recycled PET plastic. It also comes ahead of plans for Philadelphia tubs across the UK to feature new recycling labelling information from this summer which will help consumers dispose of the packaging responsibly.

As the first major cream cheese brand using recycled plastic in its packaging, Philadelphia will scale an innovative technology that keeps food safe, but doesn’t end up in the environment, helping to advance a more sustainable future for plastic packaging.

“It is vital to find and implement innovative, viable solutions to help stop plastic from getting into the environment, where it doesn’t belong,” said Vince Gruber, Executive Vice President and President, Europe for Mondelez International. “Philadelphia’s anticipated use of recycled material is an important step in limiting this waste while supporting a closed loop system. As part of our mission to lead the future of snacking by offering the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way our iconic brands are committed to leveraging their scale to reduce our impact on the environment.”

The increased use of recycled plastic will drive demand for recycled material and significantly reduce the need to produce new virgin material, supporting a so-called circular economy for plastic – a sustainable loop that keeps valuable materials in circulation and reduces waste. With every purchase and recycling of Philadelphia products across Europe, consumers will play an important role in keeping plastic waste out of the environment and meaningfully contribute to a more sustainable future for people and planet.

“Our purpose is to empower people to snack right and a big part of this is making sure our snacks use less energy, water and waste – including integrating more sustainably sourced packaging materials,” said Chris McGrath, Vice President and Chief of Impact, Sustainability and Well-being at Mondelēz International. “Innovations like advanced recycling help us find sustainable sources of previously hard-to-recycle material and support our journey towards zero net waste. We also know that designing our packaging for recyclability alone won’t solve the problem of plastic waste, which is why we support public-private initiatives to increase recovery and recycling rates across the world.”

“We are pleased to partner with Mondelēz International in providing packaging made with recycled plastic from advanced recycling technology. By recovering and diverting waste that would have otherwise been sent to landfill or incineration, we are working towards our common goal of promoting a circular economy,“ said Jean-Marc Galvez, President Consumer Packaging International, Berry Global.

Philadelphia’s commitment to advancing packaging innovation is part of Mondelez International’s long-term sustainability and well-being targets, which are focused on driving positive impact and meaningful change at scale. These commitments include sustainably sourcing key materials, reducing the company’s environmental footprint and respecting the rights of all people across its value chain. Mondelēz International is also a participant of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy and a signatory of its Global Commitment, which unites more than 450 businesses, governments and other organisations behind a common vision of a circular economy for plastic, in which it never becomes waste or pollution. As part of these commitments Mondelēz International will ensure that 100% of its packaging is designed to be recyclable and labelled with recycling information by 2025 and is on track to meet that target with 93% of the company’s packaging designed to be recyclable today.

The 2019 Snacking Made Right Report provides a comprehensive update on the company’s 2025 sustainable and mindful snacking goals and its progress towards achieving these goals.

[1] Dairylea Lunchables Pizza packaging is 60% recycled PET plastic.