19. Nov 2021
Berry announces goal for 30% circular plastics by 2030
Berry Global Group, Inc. has announced its most ambitious sustainable packaging goal to date: 30% circular plastics use across its fast-moving consumer goods packaging by 2030. Circular plastics include recycled and renewable resins like bioplastics.
Berry’s global footprint and purchasing scale offer unique access to the supply of high-quality recycled material. As the Company moves away from its reliance on virgin plastic, Berry’s new 30 by 30 goal surpasses its previous goal to use 10% post-consumer recycled (PCR) resin by 2025. The new target aims to give natural resources multiple lives and increase the use of bio-based products made from renewable resources as Berry envisions decoupling from virgin plastic and fossil fuels in the long term.
“Many of our customers around the world are moving from setting ambitious sustainability goals to taking meaningful action,” said Tom Salmon, Chairman and CEO of Berry Global. “Giving our natural resources multiple lives is critical to transitioning to a net-zero economy. Nothing is more important to us than helping our customers meet growing sustainability demand trends by accelerating the industry’s move toward a circular economy where reuse, recovery, and recycling are maximized.”
A path toward achieving sustainability goals
Coupled with its expertise in safety and regulatory compliance, Berry proposes tailored solutions to every customer goal and supports the research and development of practical and economic end-of-life scenarios for products. Berry’s Life Cycle Assessment tool helps companies estimate and quantify the environmental impact of various initiatives to prioritize actions toward achieving sustainable packaging goals.
Compared to alternative packaging materials like paper, metal, or glass, recycled plastic typically results in lower energy use, as well as less waste generated. And the increased use of bio-based products made from renewable resources like sugarcane can further reduce the carbon footprint of packaging solutions.
Collaboration is key
Lack of recycling infrastructure is one of the most significant barriers to accessing enough recycled and bio-based renewable materials to deliver on ambitious sustainable packaging goals. Berry is actively engaged in multiple global infrastructure investments, and partners with organizations critical to ending plastic waste in various ways, including:
- Signing on to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to change how plastic is produced, used, and reused.
- Taking on a leadership role with the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and The Recycling Partnership to support education and infrastructure investments needed to increase the use of recycled content and improve the collection and recyclability of plastic waste.
- Joining the World Wildlife Fund’s Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) to support the responsible development and sourcing of plastics made from plant material.
“Biobased plastic—if sourced responsibly—can play an essential role in building circularity by decoupling from fossil fuels to address our new plastic needs,” said Erin Simon, Head of Plastic Waste and Business at WWF. “Corporate leadership is critical to advancing our knowledge and development of responsibly-sourced biobased plastic, and we welcome the valuable perspective that Berry Global will add to the BFA.”