Moataz El Hout, CEO of Nestlé Egypt, revealed that the company aims at 100% recyclable packaging materials by 2022.
He said that this comes within the general plan of the parent company, which aims to reach 100% of recyclable packaging materials by 2025.
He added that the company aims to recycle and use 6000 tons of plastic annually, through the initiative to recover and recycle plastic packaging materials “Our Role”.
The Plastic Packaging Material Recovery and Recycling initiative – which has been formed in cooperation with the Egyptian Ministry of Environment, CID Consulting, and Paymob – will reportedly focus on stimulating plastic recycling and collection, starting with Cairo.
Through the partnership, Paymob will design and implement a digital platform to record processes and quantities of recycled plastics. The platform will also pay each individual registered in the system for their contribution to the initiative through electronic wallets every month.
El Hout pointed out that the parent company has invested 2 billion francs in recycled plastic since 2019, as part of its aim to achieve pioneering and sustainable change and increase the rates of recovery and recycling of waste.
Al-Hout called on all companies operating in the local market to participate in the project and to make more investments to preserve the environment.
Nestlé’s ambition is to make 100% of its packaging recyclable or re-usable by 2025. Its vision is that none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or as litter. Nestlé believes that there is an urgent need to minimize the impact of packaging on the environment.
Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider said, “Plastic waste is one of the biggest sustainability issues the world is facing today. Tackling it requires a collective approach. We are committed to finding improved solutions to reduce, re-use and recycle. Our ambition is to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025.”
The company focuses on three core areas: eliminate non-recyclable plastics; encourage the use of plastics that allow better recycling rates; and eliminate or change complex combinations of packaging materials.
Recognizing the need for developing a circular economy, Nestlé is committed to:
- Playing an active role in the development of well-functioning collection, sorting and recycling schemes across the countries where we operate;
- Working with value chain partners and industry associations to explore different packaging solutions to reduce plastic usage, facilitate recycling and develop new approaches to eliminate plastic waste;
- Labeling our plastic product packaging with recycling information to help consumers dispose of it in the right way;
- Promoting a market for recycled plastics by continuing to increase the proportion of recycled plastics in our packaging
Preventing packaging material ending up as waste, including in seas, oceans and waterways is one of the key reasons behind Nestlé’s pledge.