Nestlé, Walmart and Borealis sign up to Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global plastics commitment

Nestlé

Borealis, Nestlé, and Walmart have joined Amcor, Coca-Cola, Danone, Mars, Novamont, L’Oreal, PepsiCo, Unilever and Veolia in becoming a Core Partner to the initiative and will work directly with the Foundation to develop and upscale innovative products and services that eliminate unnecessary plastics and ensure that plastics that are used are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

Nestlé is the largest food company in the world, with a portfolio of more than 2,000 brands and present in 189 countries. It has, this year, rolled out a paper-based alternative to flexible plastic wrapping for its YES snack bar range.

As well as signing up to the Foundation’s initiative, Nestlé is also part of the UK Plastics Pact pledge, committing to making all of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

Nestlé’s global head of sustainable packaging Véronique Cremades-Mathis said: “Collaboration and collective action are critical to achieving system-wide change to the way we think about and engage with plastics. At Nestlé, we don’t want any of our packaging, including plastics, to become waste or pollution.

“The New Plastics Economy initiative represents an important catalyst on the journey to achieving a circular economy for plastics, and we are pleased to be able to contribute to this work through our expanded role as a Core Partner.”

Nestlé’s strategy

The company has launched a recyclable paper pouch for its new chocolate milk drink, Nesquik All-Natural powder, and has begun work to remove plastic straws from its beverage portfolio. It is also planning to launch plastic-free packaging for Milo, Nesquik and Smarties sharing bags before the end of 2019.

Elsewhere in its plastic strategy, Nestlé recently joined Project STOP, a business-led initiative aiming to prevent plastic pollution from leaking into waterways and oceans across South-East Asia. Founded by innovative materials firm Borealis and blockchain developer SYSTEMIQ in 2017, Project STOP was created in a bid to tackle the 12 million tonnes of plastic estimated to be seeping into the marine environment every year.

Nestlé is additionally a member of the World Animal Protection’s Global Ghost Gear Initiative (GGGI) – a collective of businesses, non-profits and public sector bodies working collaboratively to tackle the 640,000 tonnes of fishing gear abandoned in the world’s oceans each year, most of which is plastic.

Nestlé, Walmart – which operates more than 11,200 stores in 27 countries – and Borealis join the more than 400 organisations that have signed up to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. As well as eliminating unnecessary plastics and ensure that plastics are recyclable, reusable or compostable, the Global Commitment aims to ensure that all plastic items used don’t end up as waste in the natural environment.

Matt Mace

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