Amcor promises recyclable future for all its packaging

Plastics packaging maker Amcor Ltd. will make all packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025 as part of a larger push by a group of 10 brands and retailers.

The global packaging company, which makes both rigid and flexible plastics packaging, said it also is "committed to significantly increasing its use of recycled materials and driving consistently more recycling of packaging around the world."

Word of Amcor's initiative comes as the World Economic Forum begins in Davos, Switzerland.

Joining Amcor in the announcement at Davos were: Ecover, bottled water brand Evian, L'Oréal, candymaker Mars, retailer Marks & Spencer, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola Co., consumer products brand Unilever, retail giant Walmart and German brand Werner & Mertz.

Most of Amcor's packaging today is developed to be recyclable or reusable, the company said. But there's still is more to be accomplished.

"Our aspiration is to be the leading global packaging company," Amcor CEO Ron Delia said in a statement. "That means winning on behalf of the environment, customers, consumers, shareholders and out people at the same time, in ways that differentiate Amcor and generate growth."

Amcor becomes the first global packaging company to commit to 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The foundation has made headlines and pushed to become a voice in the plastics life cycle, advocating a circular approach, in recent years through its New Plastics Economy Initiative.

"Amcor being the first global packaging company to commit to working toward 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025 is an important milestone towards creating a circular economy for plastics," said Rob Opsomer of the foundation in a statement.

"The company's commitment and expertise will be instrumental in supporting the growing group of brands and retailers that have set similar targets for themselves," he added.

But saying that all packaging will be recyclable or reusable and actually achieving that goal are two different things. And Opsomer indicated some big challenges remain.

The foundation estimates that Amcor and the other 10 brand and retail companies influence more than 6.6 million tons of plastic packaging each year. Most of those firms use Amcor containers.

Amcor said it is the only packaging company "among core partners" to the foundation and its initiative.

"As a consumer goods industry, we need to go much further, much faster, in addressing the challenge of single use plastics by leading a transition away from the linear take-make-dispose model of consumption, to one which is truly circular by design," Unilever CEO Paul Polman said.

France's Danone also announced that its iconic brand Evian, whose bottles are already 100 percent recyclable, will make all of its plastic bottles from 100 percent recycled plastic by 2025.

Evian plans to achieve this through "pioneering partnerships" to redesign its packaging, speed up recycling initiatives and clean up plastic waste from nature.

Another French outfit, health and beauty company L'Oreal, has also committed to making all of its plastic packaging "rechargeable, refillable, recyclable or compostable by 2025."

Plastics News Europe contributed to this report.