FrieslandCampina commits to less and better plastic packaging

FrieslandCampina has signed the European Plastic Pact after its CEO Hein Schumacher met with ministers and company representatives in Brussels, Belgium, to reconfirm the company’s commitment and ambition regarding plastics.

In 2025 FrieslandCampina’s entire packaging portfolio must be reusable and/or recyclable. The aim is that it will be fully circular and without any emission from fossil fuels by 2050. On this journey, FrieslandCampina also designs its packaging to reduce food waste.
FrieslandCampina wants to lead with sustainability and drives a focused sustainability programme to continuously decrease its environmental impact. Sustainable packaging is one of the key pillars of the programme and FrieslandCampina is speeding up its measurable steps in this area.

Cooperative approach

Hein Schumacher, CEO Royal FrieslandCampina said FrieslandCampina and others have to support the European Plastic Pact : “If we really want to be effective in making measurable sustainable impact, we have to work together, for the long-term. We call that cooperative sustainability. And that’s the approach that’s also needed for plastic packaging. The plastic value chain is international, with large, multi-national producers and suppliers. A unified European approach, working together across borders and categories can help to scale and speed up. That is different than the national pacts that are already in place. Therefore we support both national and international pacts.”

European Plastic Pact: Making measurable steps

Today, 30 large companies and 13 countries have signed the European Plastic Pact. Signing the pact is voluntary, but not without obligation. Every year it is monitored how  participants are progressing. After the launch, the first working groups will start immediately, focusing on setting up monitoring and reporting, transport of plastic waste and circular design of plastic. Progress is monitored by a rotating steering committee consisting of a number of signatories. The European Commission is involved as an observer of the Pact. Together with the European Commission, we are also looking at where the European Plastics Pact can contribute to a new European plastic policy based on the European Green Deal.

Recent developments

Last year, FrieslandCampina also signed The New Plastics Economy Commitment of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the Dutch Plastic Pact. In October 2019 , the company introduced a recyclable cheesepack with the potential to  reduce  plastic production by 300,000 kg per year. In January 2020, one year ahead of  regulation, FrieslandCampina  also announced to replace – the more than 100 million – plastics straws with paper ones.