Plastics initiatives audit of top 7 polluting FMCGs

Do you wonder how much difference the announced plastic recycling and clean-up 'initiatives' by some of the world's biggest plastics users really make? 

In a study recently undertaken by Breakfree from Plastic the impact of 265 announced Fast Moving Consumer Goods Companies (FMCGs) plastics initiatives was analysed - for efficacy and actual implementation. The projects were classified as 'reuse-based alternative product delivery systems' or various categories of 'false solutions'. The FMCGs were scored and ranked on their projects to compare company initiatives, and to enable tracking on a semi-regular basis moving forward. 

The study focused on announce-ables

It is important to note that the Breakfree from Plastic study was interested in 'announce-ables' and focused on pilots and location-based projects as these, in their view, are the most under scrutinised, but attract significant media. 

The study excluded projects (which are acknowledged as substaintial), that consist primarily of eliminating unnecessary plastic, as well as those that consisted of materials substitution, including bio-based and compostable plastics and plastic types that companies claim are recyclable.  Eliminating unnecessary plastic is important, and many brands are doing this on a large scale by ‘light weighting’ or making plastic thinner or packaging smaller.

The work assessed projects in two categories:

1. Reuse-based alternative delivery systems - projects that feature reuse-based alternative delivery systems that enable the delivery of FMCG products without single-use materials of any kind
2. False solutions as defined by Break Free From Plastic

Break Free From Plastic has been tracking the brands found on plastic pollution in the environment around the world since 2018 and every year the same multinational FMCG companies are found to be the biggest plastic polluters - not surprising, given their size and product mix. 

Break Free From Plastic also reviewed projects by alliances and group initiatives in which the top seven polluting FMCG companies are involved.

Reuse-based alternative delivery systems

This group was categorised into three groups, including:

1. Pilots - in one store or town
2. Expanded Pilots - across wider product range and longer term
3. Systems deployed at scale - intended to be permanent

False Solutions

There were four groups under False Solutions:

1. Unproven-at-scale technology - novel technologies that are technically feasible or currently operational on a small scale, but have yet to be proven to be economically and technically feasible on a large scale. Includes chemical recycling of plastic waste to new plastic, and other technologies designed to tackle multilayered sachets
2. Third party collect/dispose (including flexibles collect/ dispose and plastic neutrality). Where the FMCG company pays another entity to collect a certain amount of waste from the environment and recycle or dispose of it, often as part of their voluntary extended producer responsibility obligations. The collectors are often informal waste pickers, and the disposal method is often burning. Plastic offsetting credits, projects to collect flexible, multilayered sachets and plastic neutrality claims are based on third party collection and disposal and are included in this category. 
3. False narrative - this is where public claims are made or implied by the company messaging around a project that are problematic, such as ‘beach clean ups are a solution’, or ‘packaging made from plastic collected from the ocean is solving pollution’.
4. Announced-then-nothing. When unable to find any information on a project other than the initial press release announcement, it has been put into this category. Also includes projects that were launched but quickly failed.

Report findings

A review of the ‘solution’ projects and initiatives from the FMCG companies and alliances revealed two concerning issues: 

1. A lack of ambition and prioritization of alternative product delivery methods at a systemic level that would allow for a dramatic reduction in the use of single-use plastic
2. An over-abundance of investment in and prioritization of false solutions which allow companies to continue the business-as-usual reliance on single-use plastic packaging.

The top seven polluting FMCG companies identified in Break Free From Plastic’s 2020 brand audit report on their plastic pollution solutions projects from 2018 through April 2021 are, starting with the number one top polluter:

1. The Coca-Cola Company
2. PepsiCo
3. Nestlé
4. Unilever
5. Mars, Inc.
6. Mondelez International
7. Procter & Gamble

Below is an infographic showing the top seven polluters and the measured percentage of each company's plastic pollution solution that does not reduce the production of plastic waste. Nearly 90% of announced solutions made no difference according to the study. 

What if the companies collaborated for real solutions?

These seven companies - Procter & Gamble, Mondelez International, PepsiCo, Mars, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, Nestlé and Unilever are each in the driver’s seat on decisions that result in the plastic packaging they put on the market. These companies' business models, and those of their counterparts across the packaged goods sector, are among the root causes and drivers of plastic pollution.

COLLECTIVELY, THESE SEVEN COMPANIES GENERATE MORE THAN $370 BILLION IN REVENUE EACH YEAR. CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL IF THESE COMPANIES COLLABORATED TO DIRECT FUNDS TOWARDS REAL, PROVEN SOLUTIONS INSTEAD OF WASTING THEIR MONEY ON MARKETING  CAMPAIGNS AND OTHER DISTRACTIONS.

Our plastic position

Only 9% of plastic ever produced since the 1950s has been recycled, and only very limited types of plastic can be recycled in an economical way. Plastic production is set to quadruple by 2050, and one of the main drivers of this is fast moving consumer goods companies and single-use packaging.

“BY 2040, CURRENT GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY COMMITMENTS ARE LIKELY TO REDUCE ANNUAL PLASTIC LEAKAGE INTO THE OCEAN BY ONLY 7% (±1 PERCENT) RELATIVE TO BUSINESS AS USUAL. OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT A FAR GREATER SCALE OF ACTION AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL WILL BE REQUIRED TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGE OF PLASTIC POLLUTION.”

Not a solution - plastic refills and beach clean-ups

The study did not include individual refill products that required the consumer to purchase the refills in single use plastic to fill up more durable containers. These do not represent a systems change and still rely on single use packaging, just in smaller quantities.

While beach, harbour and estuary clean ups by concerned citizens are to be applauded, including the devices to deploy them, we need solutions on mass scale - something that these 7 companies are very capable of coordinating, especially given the number of hands each of their plastic containers end up in. There's a thought. 

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