Unilever announces commitments to reduce plastic waste; to halve use of 'virgin' plastic by 2025

Anglo-Dutch FMCG giant Unilever on Monday announced new commitments to reduce plastic waste and said by 2025 it will eliminate more than 1,00,000 tonnes of plastic packaging besides collecting as well as processing more plastic packaging than it sells.

Unilever said by 2025, it will halve its use of 'virgin plastic', by reducing its absolute use of plastic packaging by more than 1,00,000 tonnes and accelerating the use of recycled plastic.

Virgin Plastic, is produced directly from the petrochemical feed-stock, like natural gas or crude oil, which has never been used or processed before.

The company further noted that it will also help in collecting and processing more plastic packaging than it sells.

At present, Unilever's plastic packaging footprint is around 7,00,000 tonnes annually.

"This commitment makes Unilever the first major global consumer goods company to commit to an absolute plastics reduction across its portfolio," the company said in a statement.

Unilever said it is already on track to achieve its existing commitments to ensure all of its plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025, and to use at least 25 per cent recycled plastic in its packaging by 2025.

"We can only eliminate plastic waste by acting fast and taking radical action at all points in the plastic cycle. Our starting point has to be design, reducing the amount of plastic we use, and then making sure that what we do use increasingly comes from recycled sources. We are also committed to ensuring all our plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable," Unilever CEO Alan Jope said.

Unilever said its commitment will require the business to help collect and process around 6,00,000 tonnes of plastic annually by 2025.

"This will be delivered through investment and partnerships which improve waste management infrastructure in many of the countries in which Unilever operates," it added.

Unilever's India arm, Hindustan Unilever Ltd's (HUL) brands include Lakme, Dove, Lifebuoy, Lipton, Surf Excel and Fair & Lovely.