Dive Brief:
- Kraft Heinz plans to transition its Kraft Real Mayo and Miracle Whip products sold in the U.S. to packaging made with 100% recycled content next year, the company announced Monday.
- The global food and beverage company also announced a new goal to reduce its virgin plastic use 20% by 2030 through incorporating more recycled content and plastic alternatives into its packaging.
- The latest announcements build on Kraft Heinz’s existing effort for all packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, of which it had achieved 84% through 2021. Additionally, in the U.S. it’s working to replace 15% of its PET rigid plastic packaging portfolio with postconsumer recycled content by 2025.
Dive Insight:
Kraft Heinz has been pursuing pilots for novel packaging designs across product lines in various countries, working with different partners and participating in consortiums such as the U.S. Plastics Pact and its international equivalents.
The company’s initiatives and rollouts vary by region. For instance, Heinz has reportedly already moved to 30% recycled content in most of its bottles across Brazil, the U.K. and the rest of Europe. “We are identifying the right solution for the right products in the right regions, and they may not be all that ‘one size fits all,’” particularly as the company is supplying material from local markets, said Linda Roman, head of packaging growth and technology.
Its latest aims to reduce reliance on virgin plastics depend on accessing recycled material to incorporate into fresh packaging. Roman said that Kraft Heinz made a commitment in the U.S. to leverage recycled PET “to really help drive the market demand as well and show the industry that this is an important tool in the arsenal of sustainability.”
Left to right: Nabob coffee (whose non-recyclable flexible plastic coffee bags were replaced in Canada with recyclable canisters made from 80% paper fiber), recyclable Heinz Beans Snap Pots (made with 39% recycled plastic), Shake ‘N Bake seasoned coating mix (whose plastic “shaker” bag was removed last year)
Permission granted by The Kraft Heinz Company
“We need to create the demand, and we create the recyclable packages that hopefully drive into that demand,” Roman said. “So it’s important for us to recognize not only what’s going to be available immediately but in the future; so creating those recyclable packages that then can be turned into recycled content is really important for us. We have to ensure that future supply by making sure that our packages are as recyclable as possible.”
The company did not disclose the nature of any supply agreements that might help it achieve 100% recycled content in the mayo product packaging, but Roman said it’s “important for procurement partners to work very closely with our vendors upstream.”
When asked whether the products targeted for 100% recycled packaging will say so on their labels, a spokesperson said more details on updated labels will be released in 2024. Kraft Heinz knows “consumers are looking for more sustainable solutions and we’re committed to being transparent and helping them make informed choices,” the spokesperson said in an email.