Nestlé and Unilever Sign European Plastics Pact

Household names including Nestlé and Unilever have announced their commitment to sustainability by signing the European Plastics Pact.

The European Plastics Pact is a coalition which aims to increase the use of recycled plastic in packaging, increase rates of recycling for plastic, and to ensure reusable packaging be used whenever possible.

15 governments and 66 companies have signed up the Pact so far, with Carrefour, FrieslandCampina and Veolia joining Nestlé and Unilever.

Pact signatories have committed to various promises by 2025, including designing all plastic packaging and single-use plastic products to be reusable whenever possible and recyclable in all cases, along with increasing the use of recycled plastics in new products and packaging, with the aim to achieve an average of at least 30% (by weight) of recycled plastics.

Nestlé CEO for Europe, Middle East and North Africa Marco Settembri commented, “We are pleased to sign the European Pact. One of our joint objectives is to create a circular economy by improving collection, sorting and recycling schemes across Europe.”

Hein Schumacher, CEO of FrieslandCampina said, “If we really want to be effective in making measurable sustainable impact, we have to work together, for the long-term.

“We call that cooperative sustainability. And that’s the approach that’s also needed for plastic packaging. The plastic value chain is international, with large, multi-national producers and suppliers.

“A unified European approach, working together across borders and categories can help to scale and speed up. That is different than the national pacts that are already in place. Therefore we support both national and international pacts.