In its fight against plastic waste, Nestlé has announced its ambition to make all its plastic packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025.

The Swiss food giant envisions a world where “none of its packaging, including plastics, ends up in landfill or as litter,” it said. Nestlé believes that there is an urgent need to minimise 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, reuse and recycle. Our ambition is to achieve 100 percent recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025.”

To achieve this goal, the company has identified three core objectives: the elimination of non-recyclable plastics; encouraging the use of plastics that allow better recycling rates; and eliminating or changing complex combinations of packaging materials.

Nestlé claimed that it will commit to four initiatives to reduce plastic waste levels. Firstly, the company will play an “active role” in the development of recycling, collection and sorting schemes in countries it operates in.

Secondly, the company will work with its partners to explore different packaging solutions to reduce plastic usage, facilitate recycling and develop new approaches to eliminate plastic waste.

Thirdly, Nestle said it will label all its plastic packaged products with recycling information to ensure the packaging is correctly disposed of by consumers.

And finally, the company will promote a market for recycled plastics by continuing to increase the proportion of recycled plastics on its packaging.

Preventing packaging material ending up as waste, including in seas, oceans and waterways are one of the key reasons behind Nestlé’s pledge.

As part of Nestlé’s sustainability goals, the company plans to introduce an estimated 20 per cent recycled plastic to the production of its water bottles in its UK facility in Buxton. It will also sponsor a project led by the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership which focuses on the eradication of plastic packaging waste originating from drink containers in the UK.

As the world’s largest food and beverage company, Nestlé’s 2025 sustainability goals will increase the momentum driving the packaging industry towards a more circular model.