We wanted to share an update from As You Sow’s progressive work on Plastic Pollution. As You Sow, a partner organization of Blue Summit, focuses on shareholder advocacy. Their mission is getting the largest corporations to make meaningful changes. The original story can be seen on their website here
After engagement with As You Sow on reducing single-use plastic packaging, snack company Mondelez International and beverage giant PepsiCo have agreed to cut their use of virgin plastic for packaging as part of increased efforts to eliminate and replace single-use plastics.
Mondelez (whose brands include includes Ritz crackers and Oreos) has committed to plastic cuts that will result in a 10,000 ton reduction of virgin plastic packaging. They will redesign packaging and increase use of recycled content.
PepsiCo has agreed to reduce virgin plastic content by 35% in its beverage portfolio by 2025, although more commitment is expected to reduce total plastic usage.
“We are pleased to announce agreement by two of the companies we filed proposals with to cut their use of virgin plastic used for packaging,” said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of As You Sow. “We look forward to other companies stepping forward to make similar commitments, and making bolder, larger absolute cuts in overall plastic packaging.”
In recognition of these steps, As You Sow withdrew shareholder proposals filed with Mondelez and PepsiCo. The largest cut in overall plastic use to date by a major consumer goods company was a 2019 commitment by Unilever to totally eliminate 100,000 tons of plastic packaging by 2025.