US' Berry announces goal for 30 per cent circular plastics by 2030

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 per cent 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, the company said in a press release.

Leveraging its unmatched global capabilities, intellectual knowledge, and deep innovation expertise to serve customers of all sizes around the world, Berry plans to meet its new recycled content goal through leading and early access to innovative materials like recycled and renewable resins. It plans to show agility in its global manufacturing capabilities aligned with evolving recycled content legislation. The company aims to continue significant sustainable packaging progress by collaborating with leading brands.

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 prioritise 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.

“Many of our customers around the world are moving from setting ambitious sustainability goals to taking meaningful action. 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 maximised,” Tom Salmon, chairman and CEO of Berry Global said in a statement.

“Biobased plastic, if sourced responsibly, can play an essential role in building circularity by decoupling from fossil fuels to address our new plastic needs. 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 Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA),” Erin Simon, head of plastic waste and business at WWF said in a statement.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (GK)