Unilever sets ambitious commitments to keeping plastic out of the environment

Forging partnerships to alleviate pressure on the environment and to drive an inclusive circular economy is at the core of FMCG giant Unilever's strategy to promote plastic stewardship.

Unilever has confirmed that by 2025 it will:

* Halve its use of virgin plastic, by reducing its absolute use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes and accelerating its use of recycled plastic;

* Help collect and process more plastic packaging than it sells.

This commitment makes Unilever the first major global consumer goods company to commit to an absolute plastics reduction across its portfolio.

They will also continue to work towards their existing commitment, made in 2017, to ensure that all their plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable and include a minimum of 25% recycled plastic. The Sunlight Liquid bottle is an example of packaging that is already made from 100% recycled plastic and is fully recyclable.

To catalyze transformational action and collaboration, Unilever hosted a roundtable discussion on the Role of Industry in Driving an Inclusive Circular Economy at a thought leadership event on 7 October and became a founding signatory to the South African Plastics Pact, an industry-led voluntary initiative to drive the development of an inclusive circular economy and supported by the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and SAPRO (South African Plastics Recycling Organisation).

A circular economy is one in which products and materials are recycled, repaired and reused rather than thrown away, and in which waste from one industrial process becomes a valued input into another.

Luc-Olivier Marquet, CEO at Unilever South Africa, said: "Plastic is an effective packaging with a low carbon footprint but we need to recycle it until we have alternatives. We need to keep plastic off the streets, out of landfills away from the ocean and in the economy. The cost of doing nothing is much higher than the cost of taking action and there is no time to waste. We want our commitment to further influence other local and global companies to make the planet a better and cleaner place to live in."

Unilever has a long history of collaboration with Wildlands Conservation Trust, an organisation at the forefront of conservation in South Africa, who have developed a revolutionary brick made from 30% flexible waste and 70% crushed glass. Not only are these bricks stronger and more durable - they also have a better environmental footprint compared to conventional bricks.

Andrew Venter, CEO at Wildlands Conservation Trust, said: "My hope is that the commitments made by Unilever and the South African Plastic Pact will create massive steps towards a future where our children can live in a waste free world."