TOP 10 – BRANDS LEADING THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

CHIEF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER: MICHAEL STEWART HEADQUARTERS: LONDON, UK FOUNDED: 1929 EMPLOYEES: 115,000

Unilever aims to cut virgin plastic 30 % by 2026 and 40 % by 2028 alongside making 100 % of its plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2030 for rigids and 2035 for flexibles. By April 2024, Unilever had reduced virgin plastic 18 % against 2019 and grown recycled plastic to 22 % of its global plastic packaging portfolio. Around 72 % of its portfolio is technically recyclable, though just 53 % is recycled at present. The company has run more than 50 refill pilot projects since 2018 and shared its findings to both support other organisations and regulatory change.

Unilever founded the CIRCLE Alliance with USAID and EY, a US $ 21m programme supporting entrepreneurs to scale circular solutions across the plastics value chain. It co-chairs the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty and calls for mandatory, well-designed EPR schemes, harmonised reuse standards and global rules to close the recycling gap.

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