At Danone North America, we believe that our business performance and purpose are interconnected because we know that our ability to impact health is dependent on a healthy planet and thriving communities. We consider our impacts on health, nature and people in how we run our business, make our products and interact with others.
Packaging allows us to get our products safely into the hands of our consumers, in order to fulfill our mission of bringing health through food to as many people as possible. It's a critical and complex component of our products by protecting food and beverages for safe delivery to our consumers, preserving quality, extending shelf life, and reducing food waste. We strive to drive the transition to a circular and low-carbon packaging system and recover as much as we use. While we are making progress, we know there is still work to do.
According to EPA data from 2018, approximately 29.1% of PET bottles & jars were recycled across the United States. In 2018, the EPA opined that 99% of all plastic is made from petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels. It acknowledged that existing forms of mechanical recycling diminish the quality of plastic with each recycling attempt, although work is being done to try to find ways in which recycling might restore this quality. The EPA also noted that unrecycled plastic can end up in landfills, waterways, and oceans, and that a substantial percentage of the plastic bottles consumers put in the recycling bin never actually get recycled but end up as garbage on the land and in the waterways.
We asked Sam Harrington, our Director of Packaging Sustainability, to share some of our current initiatives, priorities, successes and insights on how we’re continuing to work on transforming our packaging.
Q: What progress has Danone made toward its goals around driving toward circular and low-carbon packaging systems?
We’ve made great progress so far in transforming supply chains and production facilities to enable packaging updates – starting with more sustainable materials. We’re using a high percentage of post-consumer recycled plastic in our biggest bottle, 96-ounce Silk, and most of our STōK iced coffee bottles. Also, 100% of evian plastic bottles are 100% recycled plastic, and we have plans to phase in recycled plastic to nearly all other bottles across our brands over the next few years.
While all Danone gable-top cartons are made of about 80% paper, our smallest single-serve cartons also use bio-based plastic made from plants for the outer layer. These more sustainable materials significantly reduce the packages’ carbon footprint and reduce our use of virgin fossil-based plastic.
We’re also working to make it easier for consumers to recycle. For instance, all Danone polypropylene yogurt cups now feature direct printing and labels that can be recycled along with the cup – setting us apart from other brands whose’ yogurt cups can only be recycled if consumers make an effort to remove the label.
Q: What packaging innovations are you most excited about in terms of their potential impact on carbon and waste reduction? How is Danone committed to developing these innovative solutions?
We’re investing in the evolution of the U.S. recycling system to expand access to PET cup recycling. Today, PET cups are recyclable in more than half of the U.S. We support work by The Recycling Partnership’s PET Recycling Coalition and other groups to expand recycling access for PET yogurt cups to more communities. We’re also working with the Association of Plastics Recyclers to create new design guidelines with best practices for PET yogurt cup design to ensure cups can easily be sorted and recycled.
Q: Related to recycling plastics, what is Danone doing to increase the recyclability of its plastic packaging? What about educating consumers about the importance of recycling and their role in the process?
We have significant work underway to redesign packages to be recyclable. These changes are often subtle to consumers, making labelling and recycling instructions very helpful. We now print How2Recycle instructions on nearly all Danone packages in the U.S.
Recycling rules vary by location, we’re looking for ways to provide even more individualized information to consumers. Danone was the first company to launch the new How2Recycle Plus dynamic label. For example, if you aren’t sure if a Silk Kids beverage carton is recyclable in your town, you can use a smartphone to scan the QR code in the How2Recycle Plus label to get a recyclability answer specific to your location.
Q: How are you supporting or influencing packaging recyclability and sustainability for the broader food and beverage industry?
In addition to our internal work to transition to more sustainable packaging, we are also highly engaged with industry coalitions and non-profits working to strengthen and harmonize our national recycling systems. Danone supports groups including Circular Action Alliance, The Recycling Partnership, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, Association of Plastics Recyclers and more. We’ve invested in infrastructure improvements via Closed Loop Partners and provided recycling facility equipment grants via the PET Recycling Coalition.
No one company can make these improvements alone, and to have a real impact we must work together across the industry. We’re proud to team up with peers, competitors, customers, suppliers and government groups to work on major improvements to recycling systems.
