Nestle S.A. changed the wording of its plastic packaging goals in 2022, changing it to “designed for” recycling when earlier, it used to be “recyclable” or reusable packaging, Bloomberg reported.

What is the difference between the two terms?

The legal difference between these amount to about 280,000 metric tons of additional non-recyclable plastic waste a year, according to the Bloomberg report, which added that this would weigh the same as 30 Eiffel towers or 1,400 Statues of Liberty.

Also Read: Adani to build a port in Vietnam to increase international presence

“As communicated publicly in 2022, we remain committed to achieving 100% reusable or recyclable packaging in the long term but given infrastructure barriers this was no longer realistically achievable by 2025,” Bloomberg quoted a Nestle spokesperson as saying.

What brands other than Nestle have resorted to similar practises?

Nestle isn’t the only company that did this, with Unilever Plc rolling back its plastics reduction targets in April. Mondelez International Inc. and Ferrero Group also changed the wording in reports to “designed for,” just like Nestle.

Also Read: Dabur adds 2 lakh new sales outlets in 2023-24, highest of all FMCG players

Companies often blame insufficient recycling infrastructure and inadequate regulation for the situation, often calling for financial incentives from the government to boost investment in recycling.

What is the current global plastic waste and recycling scenario?

Around 400 million tonnes of plastic waste is produced globally every year, of which, less than 10% are recycled. The United Nations (UN) has warned that this can go up to 1.1 billion tonnes by 2050, with most of the waste ending up in water bodies, causing massive harm to animal and human health.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, used by these companies are cheap to recycle and can be used to make new bottles, athleisure or sleeping bag filling, according to the report. Despite this, the recycling rate is only about 30% and the profit margins are low.

Also Read: CCI says Apple engaged in ‘abusive conduct’; slams iPhone maker’s dominance

This is because recycled PET costed as much as €1,500 ($1,600) a ton in May, which is around €200 higher than virgin PET, Bloomberg wrote, citing S&P Global Commodity Insights data.

However, more than 17% of Nestle’s plastic packaging was made up of multilayered sachets and pouches in 2022. They contain a combination of plastics, aluminum and paper which aren’t being recycled on a large scale anywhere.

Unilever said it was working on alternatives such as reusable and refillable packaging systems, and different materials, as well as collecting and recycling.

Startups like Carbios, a French company are now using enzymes to break down PET, but this technology won’t be available at an industrial scale before 2026, the report read.