Mondelēz International commits to increased investments to accelerate towards a Circular Economy for flexible plastic packaging

The five founding companies support a circular economy for flexiblepackaging built on the principles of resource ‎efficiency, prevention of wasteand pollution, and lowering the overall environmental impact of packaging.Individually these companies are reviewing packaging designs with the aimto reduce packaging materials, improve recyclability and increase the use ofrecycled and renewable content[1]. To ensure packaging materials are keptwithin the economy, the companies aim to improve recycling infrastructureand uptake of recycled materials[2].

Flexible packaging is highly efficient as it can pack a relatively large amountof product while being low in weight which minimizes carbon emissions,whilst providing various benefits, including product protection, preservationand quality assurance. However, currently, flexible packaging is not yetwidely recycled. To lead the transition toward boosting recycling, participantsto the Initiative ‎ are committed to work with partners and governmentalbodies to improve infrastructure, go beyond individual packaging designefforts by providing concrete proposals to help enable effective collection,improved sorting and innovative recycling of flexible packaging acrossEurope.

Together and through various cross-sector and public-private collaborations,the companies are focusing on action in five key areas:

1. POLICY CHANGES TO INCENTIVISE CIRCULARITY: moreambitious recycling targets, landfill ban, minimum incinerationfor recyclable packaging

2. MAXIMISED COLLECTION: intensify consumer awareness oncircularity, mandatory collection of flexible packaging andharmonised packaging disposal instructions

3. WASTE MANAGEMENT ACTORS TO CO-PILOT CIRCULARITY FORFLEXIBLES: better sorting leads to more recycling

4. INCENTIVES FOR ADVANCED RECYCLING: regulatory andinvestment predictability needed to scale recycling

5. OUR COMMITMENT: substantial investments in realisation offully circular flexible packaging

Participating companies are committed to increase investments; in circularpackaging design, new sorting and recycling technologies and through eco-modulated EPR fees, as multiple approaches are required to ensure moreflexible packaging is processed through improved infrastructure.

The scale and magnitude of the transition requires action from companies,policy makers, experts, academics and societal organisations. The Initiativewishes to step up the collaboration across the packaging value chain, withEPR-schemes and with EU and local governments, to support theimplementation of these changes rapidly.

Vince Gruber (President MEU, Mondelēz International): “We strongly believethat the key to achieve these bold objectives is an efficient and effectiveinfrastructure for packaging materials across Europe. Ambitious and enforcedrecycling rates will likely increase circularity and help prevent littering ofpackaging materials. Therefore, we are committed to support circular economyinitiatives enabling recycling of flexibles.”

The link to the press release in full can be found here. The Flexible PackagingInitiative is an open initiative.

[1] Company examples on packaging reduction, reuse & refill: PepsiCo,Nestlé, Unilever, Mars and Mondelēz International

[2] Collective projects on infrastructure investments: Holy Grail, UK FlexiblePackaging Fund, Community of Practice on Flexible Packaging