The food and Beverages industry has been often criticised for generating excessive packaging plastic waste in the ecosystem. The companies of the industry are blamed with not taking enough responsibility for the waste that is generated because of them, causing such waste to get accumulated in the eco-sensitive regions such as the oceans. In addition to this, these companies also contribute heavily to global warming for their share in the release of carbon emissions.
In today’s world where consumers are much more conscious about the brands that they associate with, the companies can no longer get away with such behaviour. In lieu of that, several F&B companies have announced sustainability investments, to operate in a responsible manner.
Nestle’s Commitment to Fight Climate Change
Nestle, the world’s largest food company, has said that it will invest 3.6 billion dollars over the next five years in an effort to fight climate change. The company has said that it plans to plant 200 million trees over the next decade and help farmers and suppliers shift towards regenerative agriculture. The company aims to make all of its brands, carbon neutral by 2025. The company is also investing about 2.2 billion in an attempt to promote more food-safe recycled plastics for packaging material.
PepsiCo’s Commitment to Use Recycled Plastic
Pepsico has made a commitment to use 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles for Pepsi, in nine European markets by 2022. The beverage and snacks group has said that the whole Pepsi range will use plastic recycled from packaging already used by consumers. Germany, Poland, Romania, Greece and Spain will switch to 100% rPET in 2021, while France, the UK, Belgium and Luxembourg will be at 100% rPET in 2022.
Pepsico Europe CEO Silviu Popovici has said, “We are committed to immediate action to address the plastic waste challenge. Starting with these nine markets, we are working to incorporate 100 per cent recycled plastic into our beverage bottles so we can minimise our use of virgin, fossil fuel-based packaging. We will also look to go further and faster in other European markets where conditions allow.”
Danone’s Commitment to Sustainability
Danone, a multinational food-products corporation based in Europe, has committed to invest 2.18 billion dollars in a climate acceleration plan over the next three years that is designed to further transform the company’s agriculture, energy and operations, packaging, and digital capabilities. The company has also recently launched new recycled bottles in its portfolio, made from 100% recycled plastic for its bottled water brand ‘Evian’. These bottles are currently available in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and the UK.
Shweta Harit, Global VP of Marketing at Evian has said, “This is an important milestone on our ambitious sustainability journey. Despite the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, we are determined to become part of a solution to tackle environmental issues on a global scale.”
She further added, “Increasing demand for rPET promotes better recycling systems to keep plastic out of nature and in the economy. At Evian we encourage everyone to accelerate the usage of these collection points and ensure that all used bottles can become new bottles, keeping the use of virgin plastic to an absolute minimum. We are committed to our journey to care for the planet by providing our spring water in the most sustainable way possible as we look to become fully circular by 2025.”
