Over 70 million (Mn) tonnes (t) of packaging waste is produced annually¹. Unrecycled packaging is thrown into landfills, incinerators, and the environment, polluting the air, soil, and water^1,². About 50% of plastic, including plastic used in food packaging, is used once, and then discarded, taking hundreds of years to decompose^3,⁹. Research has identified plastic as a major factor pushing species into extinction, with around 88% of species in a study being affected by plastic pollution^3,⁴. Moreover, glass, considered inert waste, is sometimes hard to recycle and piles up in landfills⁵. Metals, when landfilled, leach into the soil and water, contaminating the ecosystem⁶.

Nestlé is the largest beverage and food company in the world, with its biggest market being the US⁷. In 2023, Nestlé used 3.4 Mn-t of packaging materials, of which 26% (0.9 Mn-t) were plastic packaging^8;p43. The company failed to disclose the composition of the rest of its packaging materials (glass, metal, and paper)⁸. By the end of 2023, it disclosed that 86.6% of total packaging waste, and 83.5% of its plastic packaging were designed to be recyclable, reusable or composatable^8;p41,42. The company did not disclose any take-back initiative, the amount of packaging waste collected, and recycled⁸.

Considering that about 54% of packaging waste is recycled in the US, we can estimate that about 1.56 Mn t of Nestlé's packaging waste was unrecycled¹⁰.

Nestlé aims to reduce virgin plastic use by one-third by 2025, achieving a 14.9% reduction since 2018^8;p41-43. The company focuses on sustainable packaging, using recycled materials, and implementing reusable and refill systems to minimize waste and promote a circular economy for plastics^8;p41-43.

Nestlé's packaging waste has detrimental impacts on the environment.