While plastic packaging is the fastest
growing form of packaging in the U.S. in large part due to the
popularity of fast food and consumer beverages, only 14 percent of it is
recycled. That contributes to an overall waste of $11.4 billion
in potential recycling revenue every year, according to a new report
examining packaging used by fast food, beverage, and consumer
goods/grocery companies. The report, issued on January 29, 2015 by As You Sow and the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), reviews the packaging
practices of 47 fast food/quick service restaurant (QSR) chains,
beverage companies, and consumer good/grocery companies, and highlights
leaders and laggards in the field.
"Waste
and Opportunity 2015: Environmental Progress and Challenges in Food,
Beverage, and Consumer Goods Packaging" (available online at www.asyousow.org/recycling and http://www.nrdc.org/business/consumer-goods-packaging.asp)
finds that few companies have robust sustainable packaging policies or
system-wide programs to recycle their packages. According to the report,
far more brand leadership to boost lagging U.S. recycling rates and
enhance sustainability of packaging is needed to help ensure that
packaging is manufactured and disposed of responsibly. In addition to
wasting valuable material, failure to recycle packaging contributes to
the problem of pollution of oceans, lakes, and rivers, and it misses the
opportunity to create new green recycling jobs.
Significantly, none of the 47 companies attained the report's highest "Best Practices" status. Packaging
practices in each industry sector were analyzed based on attributes
including types of material used; whether those materials are
recyclable, compostable, and/or made of recycled content; and what the
companies are actually doing to promote recycling of their packages. Key
findings of the As You Sow/NRDC report include:
Fast food/QSR company leaders and laggards:
- Starbucks and McDonald's were cited for "Better Practices."
- Dunkin' Brands, Subway, Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Panera Bread, and Yum! Brands were categorized as "Needs Improvement."
- Arby's, Quizno's, Burger King, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, Dairy Queen, Domino's Pizza, and Papa John's Pizza were identified as "Poor" for showing little to no leadership on packaging sustainability, based on information they make public.
- The report shows that, with the exception of Starbucks, none of the QSR brands analyzed has aggressively sought front-of-house recycling for part or all of its packaging, system-wide.
- The small food chain "Pret A Manger," with 60 sites nationwide, is the only company that offers front-of-house recycling and composting at all of its U.S. locations.
Beverage company leaders and laggards:
- New Belgium Brewing, Coca-Cola, Nestlé Waters NA, and PepsiCo were cited for "Better Practices."
- Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Diageo, and Anheuser Busch were categorized as "Needs Improvement."
- Heineken, MillerCoors, Boston Beer, and Red Bull were identified as "Poor" for showing little to no leadership on packaging sustainability, based on information they make public.
The
list of consumer goods/grocery companies examined in the report
includes: Campbell Soup Co., Clorox Co., Colgate-Palmolive Co., ConAgra,
Dean Foods, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, Kellogg Co., Kraft
Foods Group Inc., Kroger Co., Mondelez International, Nestlé USA,
Procter & Gamble Co. , Safeway Inc., Smithfield Foods Inc.,
SuperValu Inc., Target Corp., Unilever PLC, Walmart Stores Inc., and
Whole Foods Market. Examples of consumer goods companies and grocers
taking proactive steps on packaging include:
- Walmart was cited for achieving its commitment to reduce packaging across its global supply chain by 5 percent, and its goal of increasing its use of postconsumer recycled plastic in products and packaging by 3 billion pounds by 2020.
- Procter & Gamble has agreed to make 90 percent of its packaging recyclable by 2020.
- Colgate-Palmolive has agreed to make packaging for three of four product categories recyclable by 2020.
- Unilever committed to increase post-consumer recycling of its packaging 15 percent by 2020 in its top 14 global markets.
Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president and report author, As You Sow, said: "We
found that most leading U.S. fast food, beverage, and packaged goods
are coming up significantly short of where they should be when it comes
to the environmental aspects of packaging. These companies have not
sufficiently prioritized packaging source reduction, recyclability,
compostability, recycled content, and recycling policies. Increased
attention to these key attributes of packaging sustainability would
result in more efficient utilization of postconsumer packaging, higher
U.S. recycling rates, reduced ocean plastic pollution, and new green
recycling jobs."
The
As You Sow/NRDC report shows that while each of these sectors can do
much more to increase recycling of the packages they produce, fast
food/QSR industries are a particular concern because of the contribution
of plastic packaging to plastic pollution in the oceans and other
aquatic environments. Plastic litter from takeout orders — including
cups, plates, and straws — not only contribute to urban blight but are
often swept into waterways and oceans, where they partially degrade and
harm marine life. A Clean Water Action study of street litter in four
Bay Area cities found that the biggest source of street litter (49
percent) was from fast food.
Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist and packaging report project editor, Natural Resources Defense Council, said: "Single-use
food and beverage packaging is a prime component of the plastic
pollution in our oceans and waterways, which kills and injures marine
life and poses a potential threat to human health. Companies have an
opportunity and an obligation to curb this pollution. Better packaging
design and improved support and adoption of recycling are key to
turning the tide on this unnecessary waste."
Andrew Behar, CEO, As You Sow, said: "U.S.-based
companies that take responsibility for financing the recycling of
packaging in scores of other countries fight that responsibility here in
the U.S. without offering viable alternatives. This industry
foot-dragging is one of the primary reasons we recycle only 14 percent
of plastic packaging in the U.S. The more we boost recycling rates, the
more we reduce the use of virgin natural resources and mitigate
emissions that contribute to climate change."
OTHER REPORT HIGHLIGHTS
In
addition to assessing individual brand performance, the study also
analyzed systemic issues raising barriers to higher packaging recycling
and composting rates, stating that:
- A far smaller portion of the U.S. population has convenient access to curbside recycling than previously believed.
- A technical glitch is preventing vast amounts of black plastic containers commonly used in QSRs from being recycled.
- Significant amounts of packaging can be made compostable, but composting needs to be significantly expanded in U.S. communities.
- Increasingly contaminated streams of recyclables are preventing readily recyclable materials such as plastic PET bottles from being more widely recycled.
About the Groups
As
You Sow is a nonprofit organization that promotes environmental and
social corporate responsibility through shareholder advocacy, coalition
building, and innovative legal strategies. For more information visit www.asyousow.org. The
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit
environmental organization with more than 1.4 million members and online
activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental
specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources,
public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
A streaming audio replay of this news event is available at www.asyousow.org/recycling. The report will be available at www.asyousow.org/recycling and http://www.nrdc.org/business/consumer-goods-packaging.asp.
Press Release dated January 29, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment