Kraft Heinz to cut use of virgin plastic by 20%

Kraft Heinz Company has announced its new goal to reduce the use of virgin plastic in its global packaging portfolio by 20% by 2030. This change is estimated to reduce the use of approximately 100 million pounds of virgin plastic, an equivalent weight of about five Eiffel Towers.

“We are investing in innovative technologies and partnerships that are critical to helping us redesign packaging, eliminate unnecessary plastic, increase the use of recycled content and influence the adoption of reuse models,” said Rashida La Lande, Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel and Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer.

Heinz plans to reduce it use of virgin plastic in packaging by 20% by 2030.

Using more recycled content

Kraft Heinz is building on the existing work with the US, Canada and UK Plastic Pacts to increase the use of recycled content in its packaging. The company targets to replace 15% of its US PET rigid plastic packaging portfolio with post-consumer recycled content by 2025.

Reducing use of plastic on packaging

Kraft Heinz is identifying packaging solutions that use less plastics, such as eliminating unnecessary plastic components. For instance, Heinz introduced an eco-friendly multipack paperboard sleeve to replace plastic shrink-wrap in the UK, eliminating more than 1 million pounds of plastic in 2022.

Exploring material alternatives

Kraft Heinz is also exploring the use of alternative materials such as fiber-based packaging. For instance, Heinz announced a pilot with Pulpex in 2022 to develop a paper-based, renewable and recyclable bottle made from 100% sustainable sourced wood pulp for Heinz Tomato Ketchup.

The company also sets goal on aiming to make 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025, and aiming to half greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero (GHG) emissions by 2050.