The use of brand new “virgin” plastics by some of the world’s largest brands has peaked and is on track to fall significantly by 2025 as the use of recycled packaging grows.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which promotes a “circular economy” to cut waste and emissions, said data from multinational companies including Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever showed their total use of virgin plastics had fallen for the second year running in 2020.
The 65 consumer goods groups and retailers involved in the project are set to cut their use of non-recycled plastics by almost a fifth by 2025 overall, compared with 2018 levels, said the foundation. It collects annual data from organisations that signed a global commitment to cut plastic waste led by the foundation and UN Environment Programme.