Danone has announced that it aims to make 100% of its packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, and will also attempt to aid the development of recycling infrastructure to increase recycling rates.
The company has set three goals to help achieve the transition towards a circular economy: Improving the design of its products; incorporating more recycled materials into packaging; and investing in effective and efficient recycling systems.
Danone says it will eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging from its portfolio, and that it will launch alternatives to plastic packaging or single-use packaging in all of its major water markets by 2025.
Its Evian brand already committed to making all of its plastic bottles from 100% recycled plastic by 2025.
Currently, Danone uses approximately 14% recycled PET (rPET) in its water and other beverage, and Danone aims to increase this amount to 50% by 2025.
The company will also aim to increase the use of renewable, bio-based materials in its packaging.
As part of this commitment, the company has joined forces with Nestlé, PepsiCo and Origin Materials to join the NaturALL Bottle Alliance, which aims to bring the first 75% bio-based bottle to commercial scale by 2021, and the first 100% bio-based bottles by 2025.
Danone also reiterated the need to develop effective collection and recycling systems, and the company will invest in private initiatives that strengthen circular infrastructure, particularly in countries where formal systems are absent or in development.
By 2025, Danone aims to have supported collection and recycling initiatives in each of its top 20 markets.
Emmanuel Faber, chairman and CEO of Danone said: “We believe the time is now to step up and accelerate, embrace our responsibility and work with others to engage a radical shift that will help free the world from packaging waste.
“We will be acting both at global and local level to ensure circularity of packaging becomes the new norm. Today, we are announcing a series of investments and commitments that – I believe – will have a concrete impact.
“These will be amplified as we collaborate with industry-peers, governments, NGOs, start-ups and the finance sector; harness new technologies and invest in new solutions.”