The Kraft Heinz Company (Nasdaq: KHC) (the “Company” or “Kraft Heinz”) announces a new goal in 2023 to reduce the use of virgin plastic in its global packaging portfolio by 20 percent by 2030 – a critical step in decreasing its use of fossil fuels and finding more sustainable product packaging options. This change is estimated to reduce the use of approximately 100 million pounds of virgin plastic1, the equivalent of nearly five Eiffel Towers in weight.
This goal builds on the existing investments the Company has made across its portfolio to reduce plastic use and meet its broader packaging goals, including aiming to make 100 percent recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025, and aiming to reach net-zero greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions by 2050, while halving emissions by 2030.
“To achieve our ESG goals, including to reach net-zero GHG emissions, we can’t continue to do things as we have in the past,” said Rashida La Lande, Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel, and Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer at Kraft Heinz. “We are investing in innovative technologies and partnerships that are critical to helping us redesign packaging, eliminate unnecessary plastic, increase our use of recycled content, and influence the adoption of reuse models. This is one more way we’re renovating our product portfolio to not only offer more sustainable options, but to deliver on our consumer expectations.”
Replacing Virgin Plastic with Recycled Content
Kraft Heinz is building on the existing work with the U.S., Canada, and U.K. Plastic Pacts to increase the use of recycled content in its packaging. The Company targets replacing 15 percent of its U.S. PET rigid plastic packaging portfolio with post-consumer recycled content by 2025.
- KRAFT® Real Mayo and MIRACLE WHIP® plan to transition packaging to 100 percent recycled content in the United States beginning in 2024 in an effort to eliminate approximately 14 million pounds of virgin plastic.
- HEINZ®moved to 30 percent recycled content in most of its bottles in Brazil, the U.K., and Europe.
- HEINZ partnered with specialists in the U.K. to create recyclable HEINZ Beans Snap Pots from soft plastics that were returned to Tesco by consumers. The recyclable pots are food-safe and made with 39 percent recycled plastic.
Material Elimination or Reduction
Kraft Heinz is identifying packaging solutions that use less plastic, such as eliminating unnecessary plastic components.
- SHAKE ‘N BAKE® removed its plastic “shaker” bag from its signature packaging last year to help eliminate 900,000 pounds of plastic waste annually. Effective across its full product portfolio, this was the brand’s first step toward a more sustainable future and an easy way for consumers to make a difference.
- HEINZ launched an eco-friendly multipack paperboard sleeve to replace plastic shrink-wrap in the U.K., eliminating more than 1 million pounds of plastic in 2022.
