As stated by the company this will cut the company's use of virgin plastic by around 13,000 tons p.a. in the US and 1,000 tons p.a. in Canada. By the end of 2020 all mayonnaise plastic jars and squeeze bottles will be made using 100% recycled plastic. This move supports the commitment to ensure that 100% of the firm's plastic packaging will be fully reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. It will also help to halve the use of virgin plastic in Hellmann's packaging.
Benjamin Crook, Senior Marketing Director for Hellmann’s in North America gave the following statement: "Switching to recycled plastic has a positive impact on the environment by reducing the amount of bottles sent to landfills and lowering greenhouse gas emissions. At Hellmann's, we strive for sustainability in all that we do, including helping customers make a responsible choice while still enjoying the products they love.”
Quoting information delivered by Unilever the food industry requires the highest level of purity for reused plastic.This means that recycled PET collection and production is more labour intensive and carried out by fewer suppliers, making the material less widely available and more expensive.
On the firm's website Christina Bauer-Plank, Global Brand VP for Hellmann's, said: "Eliminating virgin plastic from our packs is not easy, but it is the right thing to do. At Hellmann's, we're all about 'Real Taste and Less Waste', so the introduction of 100% recycled and recyclable jars and bottles is a very important step that contributes to building consumer preference while helping the planet.”
