Unilever is working with leading regional companies to collect and reuse plastics in packaging
Unilever continues to make progress towards its ambitious commitments for a waste-free world, with over 70% of Unilever packaging in MENA now recyclable, the multinational fmcg company stated in a press communiqué.
In line with Unilever’s global commitment, Unilever MENA has implemented new packaging on a range of products. Its Lipton tea bags are biodegradable, while the outer pack of the existing Lipton pack was made recyclable by the local MENA Refreshments R&D team, an innovation which received the USA Packaging Impressions Excellence Award.
“Despite today’s challenging conditions, we remain committed towards the implementation of a circular economy for packaging where it is reused, recycled, or composted. We aim to cut the amount of plastic we use,” avowed Sanjiv Kakkar, Executive Vice-President, Unilever MENA.
Across MENA, Unilever is working to reduce its use of virgin plastic in its packaging, following its commitment in 2019. Brands including Lux Handwash in the GCC and in Egypt have transitioned to post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR) in their packaging while the packaging of newly introduced brands into MENA, such as LBP and Seventh Generation are made of 100% recycled plastic.
Last year, Unilever became the first major consumer goods company to commit to an absolute plastic reduction across its portfolio. By 2025, the company confirmed it will halve its use of virgin plastic by reducing its use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes and accelerating its use of post-consumer recycled plastic (PCR), the press statement concluded.
