Manufacturer Mars has begun trials of using chemically recycled polypropylene in its pet food packaging.
In a partnership with packaging firm Huhtamaki and petrochemical company SABIC, Mars has begun trials in Europe and will increase volumes in 2021 into other brands.
Mars chief procurement and sustainability officer Barry Parkin said: “Plastic packaging littering our land and oceans is not acceptable, and at Mars, we’re committed to helping address this problem.
“To do this, we need to reduce packaging we don’t need, redesign the remaining packaging to become circular and invest to close the loop to help scale up recycling systems.
“Through our partnership with Huhtamaki and SABIC, we will test-and-learn, progressively scale up recycled content in our packs, and ultimately help drive circular packaging systems.”
Mars has ambitions to use 100% reuseable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025. Using advanced recycling technology, such as chemical recycling, will be one way in which it can use 30% recycled plastics and reduce virgin plastic use by 25%.
