Both companies say they will dramatically reduce the weight of packaging they use through new design, thin walling, use of concentrated products and reuse of materials. In some cases, they will also switch materials. "we will make it easier for consumers to recycle our packaging by using materials that best fit the endoflife treatment facilities available in their countries," unilever said in a statement released to the press. Unilever also said it plans to eliminate use of polyvinyl chloride pvc by 2012 where technical solutions exist. P&g is also removing pvc from future packaging designs in favor of materials that are easier to recycle, such as highdensity polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate.
Twentyfive percent of p&g&39s petroleumbased materials will be replaced with sustainably sourced renewable materials by 2020, compared to a 2010 baseline. The company recently announced plans to use renewable, sustainable, sugarcanederived plastic on selected packaging for its pantene prov, covergirl and max factor brands. P&g developed a bioplastic technology called nodax polyhydroxyalkanoates pha, but later sold the rights to danimer scientific of bainridge, ga. However, its efforts to develop renewably sourced packaging materials continue. P&g was awarded a patent for a starchbased compound earlier this year. Unilever does not support use of bioplastics. The company makes this statement in its sustainability plan "bioplastics are derived from renewable resources.
But this does not mean that they are sustainable when all the environmental impacts and issues around their growth, production and subsequent disposal are taken into consideration." bioplastics also cost more, sometimes significantly more, than petroleumbased plastics. Unilever also plans to significantly increase recycling of its products. The corporate goal is to boost recycling and recovery rates on average by 5 percent by 2015, and by 15 percent by 2020 in the top 14 countries where unilever does business. This will require as much as a threefold increase in recycling rates. Major customers, such as walmart stores, are helping drive sustainable packaging design. Walmart plans a 5 percent reduction in its global packaging use by 2013.
Walmart&39s goal to eliminate pvc is stalled because of technical issues, such as lack of acceptable alternatives for tamperevident bands, metalcan sealants and meat wrapping.
