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Sustainable Packaging Promises for 2020

There’s something about the year 2020. It’s catchy. It’s the first year of the 2020’s decade. It’s full of promise. So, it’s no surprise that a number of companies have made lofty sustainable packaging goals for 2020. Here are some of the big promises on deck:

Coca-Cola plans to use PlantBottle packaging technology (introduced in 2009) for all PET plastic bottles by 2020. According to Coca-Cola, PlantBottle packaging has removed 140,000 metric tons of emissions so far. The bottle, despite being made of up to 30 percent plant-based plastic, is completely recyclable. Coca-Cola also has a 2020 recycling goal, aiming for 75 percent of all bottles and cans in developed markets.

Dell has set a lofty goal for 2020: committing to a waste-free packaging stream. That means that all of their packaging will be sourced from sustainable materials, including recycled materials or renewable content. Dell also plans to incorporate wheat straw into their packaging, which Chinese farmers currently burn as waste. Dell currently uses bamboo cushions and mushroom in their packaging, both of which are recyclable or compostable. By 2020, all of Dell’s packaging will be recyclable or compostable.

Nokia has set a similar goal, promising to use only renewable or recyclable material for their packaging by 2020. Nokia claims that plastics currently account for less than 3 percent of their packaging material use, and that all of their packages are recyclable. Currently, more than half of the virgin wood fibers used in their paper packaging comes from certified sources, as approved by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

Campbell Soup also hopes to make 100 percent of their packaging from sustainable materials. They want to eliminate 100 million pounds of packaging from their products, and recycle 95 percent of their global waste.

If all of these companies succeed in implementing their goals, 2020 will be very bright green indeed!