
Beyond our own packaging, we’re advocating for infrastructure and wider change
To help close the gap between what packaging is technically recyclable and what is actually recycled, policy and regulation are critical in improving waste management infrastructure and helping to tackle plastic waste. In North America, collaborations with The Recycling Partnership and the US and Canada Plastics Pacts, as well as investments in Closed Loop Partners, support the ongoing development of local waste management infrastructure.
Globally, we also advocate for policies like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which can help to hold businesses to account for the packaging choices they make and boost recycling systems. By ensuring that money is invested back into waste management and packaging innovation, well-designed EPR schemes can drive up recycling rates and the supply of recycled plastic.
Unilever co-chairs the Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, which is calling for a global plastics treaty that addresses the full life-cycle of plastic and sets global rules on our priorities like EPR, as well as product design, and restrictions and phase-outs. Global rules in these areas will help to harmonise regulatory standards and policies across markets, and accelerate the voluntary work already being done by the industry.