Nestlé has detailed an expanded packaging strategy built around five interconnected pillars — reduce, reuse, redesign, recycle and rethink — reinforcing its aim for all packaging to be recyclable or reusable by the end of 2025.
The company said 87 percent of its packaging is recyclable or reusable, with more than 95 percent of plastic packs set for recyclability by end-2025.
Nestlé’s approach is anchored in research from the Nestlé Institute of Packaging Sciences in Switzerland, which has operated since 2019 and employs around 50 packaging specialists.
The institute develops recyclable, compostable and bio-based materials, high-barrier papers and refillable or reusable systems designed to reduce the environmental impact of packaging.
According to company data, Nestlé’s plastic packaging amounted to about 873 kilotonnes in 2024, with 87 percent of total packaging now reported as recyclable or reusable.
The firm aims to cut virgin plastic use by one-third compared with 2018 levels and to have more than 95 percent of its plastic packaging designed for recycling by the end of 2025.
Nestlé continues to advocate for harmonised regulation of post-consumer resources and supports a legally binding United Nations Treaty on Plastic Pollution aimed at aligning national frameworks.
As a participant in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative, the company is engaged in efforts to develop effective collection, sorting and recycling systems globally.
