Nestlé Breaks Down Its Path To 2030 For Virgin Plastic Reduction

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Nestlé’s packaging sustainability strategy sets a target to reduce virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with 2018. The company says recycled plastic will account for 50% to 60% of the planned reduction, while reducing or eliminating plastic will contribute 30% to 40%; reuse and refill are expected to contribute 10% to 15%.

Nestlé has set a target to reduce its use of virgin plastic by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with 2018, in an updated packaging sustainability strategy published this month. The food and beverage company plans to meet the target by using more recycled plastic, reducing packaging and developing reuse and refill options.

Nestlé expects 50% to 60% of the planned reduction to come from incorporating more recycled plastic. Its plastic packaging contained about 21% recycled material in 2025. The company says it is researching the food safety of recycled plastics to expand the use of recycled PET.

A further 30% to 40% of the improvement is expected from reducing or eliminating plastic. Plastic made up about a quarter of Nestlé’s packaging portfolio by weight in 2025. The company reported that its total plastic packaging use fell to 0.86 million metric tons in 2025, from 1.7 million tons in 2018.

Nestlé assigns 10% to 15% of the planned improvement to alternative materials and reuse or refill solutions. It cited paper soft packs for Nescafé in Europe as one example of replacing plastic laminates with paper. Reusable packaging represented 0.51% of its packaging in 2025, and the strategy describes reuse and refill models as largely in the pilot stage.

Recycled Plastic Carries Most of the Target

The strategy sets out which approaches Nestlé expects to carry the most weight: recycled plastic is projected to deliver more than half of the planned reduction, while cuts to packaging account for a substantial additional share. That makes the availability and suitability of recycled material, including food-grade recycled PET, relevant to whether the plan can be delivered.

The figures also show the scale of the remaining task. Nestlé’s reported plastic packaging use declined between 2018 and 2025, but the new target measures virgin plastic use against the 2018 baseline. Total plastic packaging tonnage and virgin plastic use are different measures, so the reported tonnage decline alone does not establish progress against the new target.

For consumers and packaging suppliers, the plan could mean more recycled content, paper alternatives in some formats and experiments with refill systems. The company’s figures describe its intended contributions, however; they do not establish how much each measure will deliver in practice.

From Recyclable Packaging to Virgin Plastic

Before 2025, Nestlé focused on goals including making its packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable. It ultimately reached that status for about 90% of its portfolio, according to the source report. The revised strategy shifts attention to reducing virgin plastic use, with a defined 2030 target and a 2018 comparison year.

The company’s strategy also accounts for the planned sale of a stake in its water business for approximately $3.4 billion. The source does not provide further detail on how that transaction changes the target’s calculation. Nestlé has also joined five other founding members in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s new PaperFlex Consortium, which aims to speed research and development of paper-based flexible packaging.

“The target is to reduce virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with a 2018 baseline.”

— Nestlé

How the Planned Reductions Will Be Measured

The published figures are projections of how Nestlé expects to reach its target. The source does not specify the precise measurement method for the 12% to 17% reduction, provide annual milestones, or say how progress will be independently verified. It also does not report a 2025 figure for virgin plastic use that would show the company’s current position against the 2018 baseline.

The amount of recycled material that can safely be used in food packaging remains under research, according to Nestlé. Details on the scale and timing of that work are not provided. Reuse and refill models are described as mostly pilots, but the strategy summary does not identify which pilots may be expanded, when that could happen, or how much they would contribute.

Progress Toward the 2030 Target

Nestlé’s stated next steps are to increase recycled content, reduce or replace plastic in packaging, and develop reuse and refill options. Its food-safety research into recycled plastics and work through the PaperFlex Consortium are among the activities described in the strategy. The company’s progress will be assessed against its 2018 baseline and 2030 deadline; the source report does not give a schedule for interim updates or specific milestones.

Key Questions

What is Nestlé’s virgin plastic target?

Nestlé aims to reduce virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with 2018.

How does Nestlé expect to reach the target?

The company expects recycled plastic to account for 50% to 60% of the planned improvement, reducing or eliminating plastic for 30% to 40%, and alternative materials or reuse and refill for 10% to 15%.

How much recycled material was in Nestlé’s plastic packaging in 2025?

Nestlé reported that its plastic packaging contained about 21% recycled material in 2025. It did not provide a 2025 figure for virgin plastic use in the source report.

Are Nestlé’s reuse and refill systems already widely used?

The strategy describes reuse and refill models as largely in the pilot stage. Reusable packaging accounted for 0.51% of Nestlé’s packaging in 2025.

What remains unknown about the plan?

The source does not give annual milestones, detailed measurement or verification methods, or a timetable for expanding reuse and refill pilots. It also does not quantify how much recycled plastic can be used in food packaging after the company’s safety research.

Source: rss