Conagra to Shift to 100% Recyclable Packaging by 2025

American food firm Conagra Brands is aiming to make 100% of its plastic packaging recyclable, renewable, or compostable by 2025, joining other prominent food and beverage companies that have set similar goals in recent years. 

“Conagra is committed to being a caretaker of the environment,” Conagra Director of Sustainable Development Katya Hantel said in a company press release Wednesday. “As part of this commitment, we are constantly challenging ourselves to more sustainably source packaging materials, generate less waste for disposal, and help preserve our planet and its resources.”

The company said it plans to produce packaging that is environmentally friendly, while also upholding food safety and quality standards. Another aim of the effort is to reduce Conagra’s use of water in packaging. 

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In 2017, Conagra introduced plant-based bowls for its Healthy Choice Power Bowls products. Since the rollout, the company has substituted the bowls for 2.1 million lb of plastic packaging. 

“As a food company, packaging is an integral part of our product. That’s why we are committed to making packaging decisions with the environment in mind,” Corey Berends, PhD., senior vice president of research and development, said in a statement. “We’ve set an ambitious goal and we look forward to working with our suppliers and others in the industry to identify innovative solutions that maintains food safety and freshness while also reducing our packaging footprint.”

Over the next five years, Conagra said it will reduce its use of plastic packaging by 33 million lb.

Also this month, Nestle said it was investing $2 billion to source 2 million mt of food-grade recycled plastics through 2025 and provide funding to start-up companies that are developing sustainable packaging solutions. The Swiss firm’s investment is part of the firm’s 2018 pledge to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025. Kraft Heinz announced a similar initiative in August 2018. It’s plans also called for a shift to 100% recyclable, compostable, or reusable packaging materials by 2025.

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