Mondelez join forces with industry leaders to boost plastic recycling
Mondelez International is among five five of the UK 's largest branded manufacturers who have formed a £1 million fund to help make flexible plastic recycling economically viable for recyclers and easier for consumers.
Mondel?z has joined forces with Mars UK, Nestl�, PepsiCo and Unilever to form the the Flexible Plastic Fund, which is being led by producer compliance scheme, Ecosurety, with support from environmental charity, Hubbub.
In collaboration with manufacturers, retailers and recyclers, the fund intends to improve flexible plastic recycling and reduce plastic pollution by giving the material a stable value.
This will in turn increase the supply of recycled plastic enabling industry to become more 'circular ' and meet the forthcoming UK plastic packaging tax obligations.
It will also motivate investment in much needed jobs and infrastructure to make flexible plastic recycling a financially sustainable system in the UK.
New research from the University of Sheffield suggests there is strong consumer demand for recycling flexible plastic with 95 per cent of participants saying they would be willing to recycle their flexible plastics.
Sainsbury 's and Waitrose have already signed up to support the initiative by hosting flexible plastic collection points in selected stores across the UK.
Flexible plastics include plastic bags, wrappers, films, pouches, packets and sachets and is described as 'plastic bags and wrapping ', 'soft plastics ' or 'flexible plastics '.
The fund will guarantee a minimum value of £100 per tonne of recycled product to incentivise recyclers to process flexible plastic.
The long-term ambition of the fund is to drive progress towards creating a circular, UK based flexible plastic recycling market that allows flexible plastic recycling via household collections.
The Flexible Plastic Fund is calling for recyclers, manufacturers and retailers to get in touch to play their role in this vital scheme that is driving solutions to flexible plastic waste in the UK.
Louise Stigant, UK managing director, Mondel?z International, said “Making our snacks sustainably and in the right way is at the heart of our purpose. Increasing the recyclability of our products and creating a circular economy so our packaging stays within the economy and not the environment is a priority for us.
“The Flexible Plastics Fund is an important step to ensuring packaging is collected, sorted and recycled in the UK. Meaningful change can only come when everyone collaborates, from companies, governments, waste management organisations to consumers.
For more information about the fund and how to request a nearby collection point, please visit the Flexible Plastic Fund click here.