In search of ways to reduce plastic use

To address the challenges of plastic litter in the ocean, we must think fresh about how we manufacture, use and reuse products

“At Orkla we are committed to developing sustainable consumer products. That’s why we want all the packaging we use to be 100 per cent recyclable by 2025.” says Ellen Behrens, Orkla VP Corporate Social Responsibility.

Orkla is also working actively to find new alternatives to plastic and to ensure that the plastic is recycled.

“There are a great many of us who want to help solve the challenges we face with plastics. The most important thing we can do is to make sure plastic does not go astray, but becomes a resource that can be used again and again,” says Behrens.

Orkla’s goal is for 75 per cent of packaging to be from recycled or renewable materials by 2025. For plastics, the target is 50 per cent.

“We are determined to help increase plastic recycling in all of the 30 or so countries where we operate,” says Behrens. “Today, using recycled plastic packaging for food products is all but impossible. Orkla’s products are heavily weighted towards food, so our goal that 50 per cent goal of the plastics we use will be recycled is an ambitious one.”

To reach the target, Orkla has developed its own tools and internal guidelines for sustainable packaging efforts across the group and from country to country. Several of the companies cooperate closely with suppliers and outside experts.

“We have engaged in several research projects to build expertise on how we can become less dependent on plastics in future,” says Ellen. “We also want to learn more about developing good packaging from recycled plastics and about designing our products so the packaging is easy to recycle.”

Orkla is taking step after step to avoid unnecessary packaging and increase the use of recycled and renewable plastics:

“A good example is the Klar series, with its bottles made from 100 per cent recycled plastic. In a pioneering effort, we have learned a great deal and successfully researched new ideas and designs that we’re now applying to a growing number of cleaning, well-being and personal hygiene products,” says Behrens.

Did you know?

• At Orkla, we aim to ensure that all the packaging we use will be 100 per cent recyclable by 2025.
• We have a goal of ensuring that 75 per cent of our packaging will be based on recycled or renewable materials by 2025. For plastics, the target is 50 per cent.
• In Norway, Orkla is heading a project within the industry to create a roadmap for establishing a circular value chain for plastic packaging.
• Several Orkla companies are clearing plastic litter from beaches.

For more information on the research projects we are engaged in (FuturePAck, Circular Business Models, FoodProFuture, ENTOFÔR, HighEFF), see our Sustainability Report >.