Cargill slashes 1200 tons of plastic from its vegetable oil bottles

04 Oct 2019 --- Ingredients supplier Cargill has reduced the amount of plastic used in its vegetable oil bottles and containers by over 2.5 million pounds (680,000 kg) globally. Different strategies have been used in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and South America – the four geographies in which Cargill’s edible oils are manufactured. These include using new bottling technology and adding in recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic. The move comes as Cargill acknowledges that plastic packaging is a growing concern for many of its customers and consumers because of plastic waste pollution and the environmental impact of producing it.

“Generally, the more plastic you have, the easier it is to make a bottle. When plastic is removed to create a more sustainable package, the way the production equipment handles the package changes. In some instances, our plastic reduction initiatives have simply required the creation of new operating standards and set points, while other initiatives have required capital investments to retrofit or purchase new equipment,” Matt Kempainen, Packaging Engineer for Cargill’s edible oils business in North America, tells PackagingInsights.

In addition to plastics having many desirable characteristics, its replacements also have environmental impacts. This makes the plastic waste problem even more difficult to solve, says Tai Ullmann, Global Sustainability Manager for Cargill’s edible oils business. “Our customers are working on a multi-layered approach, which includes engaging consumers about plastics recycling. We’re exploring ways to incorporate a circular economy approach to plastics and other materials that we use. Examples include using plastic that can be recycled in our packaging and supporting customer education efforts.”

Cargill’s plastic reduction of nearly 1200 metric tons is removing almost 2,900 metric tons of greenhouse gases (GHGs) from the atmosphere annually, which is equivalent to removing 616 cars from the road. However, Ullmann is unable to share how much total pounds of plastic are still used in vegetable oil bottles and containers annually as the information is proprietary. 

A recent study estimated that more than 4,000 chemicals are used in modern-day plastic packaging production. However, with over 5,000 different types of plastic puzzled together to create plastic packaging, the number of chemicals used for production will increase further, the research suggests. It is, therefore, becoming increasingly difficult to ensure safety standards. 

In addition to plastics having many desirable characteristics, its replacements also have environmental impacts.Regional tactics
Cargill’s initiatives on plastic packaging for its edible oils are led by regional teams. “The regional teams work directly with customers on their specific goals and needs, which is reflected in the diversity of initiatives. Our approach relies on using both internal expertise and capabilities, including engineers specifically dedicated to optimizing and reducing packaging use, as well as external partnerships to unlock the best solutions. Learnings from our regional solutions can be leveraged across the globe,” explains Kempainen.

Within North America, Cargill has eliminated 930,000 pounds (421 metric tons) of plastic in packaging a year through its investments in new bottling line technology; as well as retrofitting existing equipment and improving processes at its crush and refinery facilities. It also uses PET for packaging in its three new bottling lines and is using smart technology to create bottles on-site from small, core plastic components. This eliminates the need to transport standard-sized plastic bottles, thus cutting additional GHGs.

Meanwhile in Europe, the company has worked with all its customers to reduce the amount of plastic in their one-liter bottles of vegetable oil. The changes are reducing plastic usage by 720,000 pounds (360 metric tons) a year. It is also working with a German consumer goods customer to incorporate 30 percent recycled PET in its one-liter bottles of vegetable oil. That will mean approximately 235,000 pounds of recycled PET will replace first-time-use plastic in the packaging. That project, and similar ones launching with additional customers, are designed to help customers prepare for the EU’s goal of plastic bottles having at least 25 percent recycled content by 2025 and 30 percent by 2030. 

Over in Asia Pacific, the company’s Indian brands of Gemini, Sweekar and NatureFresh cut approximately 25 percent of the plastic used for select packages, eliminating 562,000 pounds (255 metric tons) of plastic usage in packaging in 2018. Cargill worked with Dow Chemical to reformulate its plastic material, making 90 percent of its plastic packaging recyclable. It has a goal of using 100 percent recyclable packaging for its Gemini, Sweekar and NatureFresh brands by the end of 2020.

Cargill is also working with the Indian Pollution Control Association (IPCA) to strengthen the collection and processing of used packages from consumers. IPCA has installed dry waste collection centers at important locations to segregate and compact plastic waste before distributing it to co-processing industries and plants. So far, Cargill’s oils business has been able to collect 25 percent of used packages for recycling but expects those numbers to grow substantially in 2020.

Finally, in South America, the company’s soybean oil brand, Liza, has reduced the amount of plastic in its 900 ml bottles of vegetable oil from 17.7 grams to 16.7 grams. This eliminates 355,000 pounds (161 metric tons) of plastic used in packaging in a year.

Earlier this year, Cargill also launched “BeefUp Sustainability,” an initiative that aims to reduce 30 percent of GHGs across its North American beef supply chain by 2030.

By Katherine Durrell