New Report Exposes CPG Leaders' Struggles to Meet Plastic Reduction Goals

A detailed report analyzes missed sustainability goals, declining reuse efforts, and the ongoing rise in plastic consumption across major brands.

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest report from Business360, CPGs Struggle to Stem Plastic Use, offers in-depth analysis of how global consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are falling short of their commitments to reduce plastic waste. Despite commitments by companies such as Unilever, Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive to ambitious 2025 goals under the Global Commitment, the report reveals that total plastic usage among brand and retail signatories has increased 6.5% since 2018, leaving the world off-track to curb plastic waste and pollution.

KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE REPORT

(1) Plastic Usage Rises Across Key Players:

• Within Food & Beverage and Home & Personal Care, of the 18 of the signatories that have provided data both 2018 and 2023, aggregate plastic usage grew almost 7% between those years; three recorded growth of 20% or more
• Coca-Cola and PepsiCo account for 56.6% of total plastic packaging use among signatories from the Food & Beverage (F&B) and Household & Personal Care (HPC) categories

(2) Plastic Intensity Stagnates:

• Brands continue to use nearly the same amount of plastic to generate each dollar of revenue as they did in 2018
• Colgate-Palmolive, despite its efforts, remains one of the most plastic-intensive companies, using over 13 grams of plastic per US dollar in revenue

(3) Reuse Neglected Across the Board

• Reusable packaging constitutes a mere 1.3% of total packaging among brand and retail signatories and has fallen from 1.6% in 2019
• Unilever reported just 0.1% reusable packaging in 2023, even as it launched five reuse pilots

(4) Sustainability Targets at Risk

• Henkel has reduced virgin plastic usage by 24% since 2018 but remains far from its ambitious 50% reduction goal by 2025
• Reckitt, aiming for 25% post-consumer recycled (PCR) content by 2025, reported just 8% as of 2023, showing slow progress

(5) Consumer Anger Rising As Health Concerns Mount

• Growing evidence linking microplastics to human and environmental health risks underscores the urgency for action
• Consumer anger and distrust are intensifying over brands' recycling claims and brands, such as Unilever's Dove, are facing growing criticism from activist organizations like Greenpeace
• The report uncovers rising consumer distrust in companies' sustainability claims generally, with brands like Nestlé and Mars struggling to align public commitments with measurable action

WHY THIS MATTERS

Professionals at Unilever, Coca-Cola, Nestlé and other CPG leaders will find detailed performance analysis of competitors and cross-competitor comparisons. It also brings together key emerging themes along with actionable insights into how their competitors are responding to the plastics crisis.

CALL TO ACTION

Don't miss the opportunity to benchmark your organization's performance and learn from industry leaders and laggards. See more details here and to schedule a briefing or purchase the report, please contact [email protected].

PRICING

The report has five sections:

1. Core observations and driving themes (16 pages, $3,000)

2. Latest primary usage and composition metrics for CPG signatories (6 pages, $2,000)

3. Usage and composition progress achieved by CPG signatories (5 pages, $2,000)

4. Latest primary usage and composition metrics for HPC signatories (4 pages, $2,000)

5. Deep dive into HPC signatories (including company performance snapshots, news and activities) (36 pages, $5,000)

Tailored monthly update briefs also available for $500/month

Prices include optional extras:

• Follow-up discussions with analysts and report writers
• Folding in your company's data for clear cross-competitive analysis where relevant
• Customization using your corporate templates
• Editable charts and graphics for your distribution
• Enterprise-wide distribution rights including using report's data and findings in external communications, such as white papers or presentations

ABOUT BUSINESS360

Business360 has for over two decades provided research, analysis and advice for some of the world's most demanding and prestigious companies. For approaching ten years it has tracked and analyzed the performance of CPG companies as they try to reduce reliance on plastic. Corporations buy our work to keep up with this complex and critical issue and better identify feasible solutions relevant for their brands.

Media Contact

John Marchant, Business360, INC, 44 7429662205, [email protected], https://www.business360.com/plastics 

SOURCE Business360, INC