Mondelēz joins MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment

25 Mar 2020 --- To further solidify its 2025 sustainability goals, American multinational confectionery and F&B company Mondelēz International has joined two leading initiatives focused on tackling plastic waste. Mondelēz signed to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and participates in the Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative and the UK Plastics Pact. The initiatives share a collective ambition to address plastic waste and pollution at its source by moving toward a circular economy where plastic stays in the economy and out of the environment.

“We believe that sector-wide initiatives, in collaboration with government, are key to reducing the impact of packaging on our planet,” notes Christine Montenegro McGrath, Vice President of Sustainability and Global Impact at Mondelēz. “Through our partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and in joining The UK Plastics Pact, we are accelerating our work toward creating zero net waste packaging and improving recycling globally.”

As part of a long-term commitment to reduce environmental impact, Mondelēz set 2025 packaging innovation targets to ensure 100 percent of its packaging is designed to be recycled, contains on-pack recycling information and contributes to the company’s commitment to reduce CO2 emissions. Today, 93 percent of the company’s total packaging, including both plastic and non-plastic, is designed to be recycled, Mondelēz says.

Beyond this significant progress, the announcement advances the company’s leadership role in calling for and participating in sector-wide collaboration to identify and scale up innovation, harmonize packaging formats to make recycling easier and improve waste management infrastructure. 

New Plastics Economy Global Commitment
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment has set ambitious 2025 targets which Mondelēz, along with signatories from government, business and other organizations, has formally endorsed. As part of the Global Commitment, Mondelēzwill work towards the following:

• Take action to eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging by 2025.
• Make 100 percent of its plastic packaging reusable or recyclable.
• Use 5 percent recycled content (by weight) across all plastic packaging.
• Take action to move from single-use towards reuse models where relevant.

Mondelēz says that sector-wide initiatives, in collaboration with government, are key to reducing the impact of packaging on the planet.“Our vision is for a world where plastic never becomes waste or pollution. It will be a challenging journey, but by coming together we can eliminate the plastics we don’t need and innovate, so the plastics we do need can be safely and easily circulated – keeping them in the economy and out of the environment,” says Sander Defruyt, Lead of the New Plastics Economy Initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. 

UK Plastics Pact
As a member of the UK Plastics Pact, which is the first in a global network of Pacts that are aligned with and support the New Plastics Economy initiative, Mondelēz is committing toward delivering the UK Plastics Pact 2025 targets. 

The core targets are eliminating unnecessary and problematic packaging and plastic products, ensuring all plastic packaging is recyclable in practice and using recycled plastic in packaging wherever possible.

“Through our first-of-a-kind Pact, we are working together with governments, citizens and business to transform the way we make, use and dispose of plastic so that we retain its value, but prevent it from polluting the environment,” explains Marcus Gover, CEO WRAP the organization behind the Pact.

In the spirit of eco-friendly endeavors, Mondelēz International launched its Cadbury Energy bar in 100 percent recyclable and sustainably sourced paper packaging that was tried and tested exclusively in New Zealand. The trial was designed to test the durability and effectiveness of the paper packaging in transport and gather feedback from consumers who received free samples at Westfield Newmarket, Auckland in December.

Edited by Kristiana Lalou