How Unilever is working to end plastic waste

Our brands are reducing or replacing virgin plastic in their packaging – either with recycled plastic or other materials like glass, aluminium or paper.

Packaging materials must be tailored to different conditions and geographies, and also to the specific formulations and packaging needs of our diverse product portfolio.

For example, when developing paper-based pots for Pot Noodle in the UK, our Packaging R&D team had to ensure they maintain high quality throughout their lifecycle – from transportation to the cooking process.

In 2025, we achieved our target to use 25% recycled plastic in our packaging. And we purchased more than 150,000 kilotonnes of recycled plastic – more than three times the amount we sourced in 2019, showing how far we’ve come.

Sourcing and scaling high-quality PCR is a complex challenge. Recycled plastic must meet the same high standards for safety, durability and consumer experience as virgin plastic. For example, Domestos packaging must withstand powerful bleach formulation without affecting the packaging’s integrity and safety. Across food, beauty and personal care, packaging must meet strict performance and regulatory standards.

Our Packaging R&D and Procurement teams work hand-in-hand with suppliers to overcome these challenges. We use advanced digital testing and modelling tools that can predict the colour and performance of the recycled plastic packaging we use. This reduces the need for physical prototypes and is cutting development time by around 25%.

We also embed our technical experts in our network of suppliers to co-develop improved recycling and manufacturing processes, efficiency and material quality. In the US, Canada and Brazil, for example, we built new capabilities in sorting, cleaning and blending recycled plastic resins. As a result, Wonder Wash laundry detergent bottles in the UK and Europe and Hellmann’s squeeze bottles in Brazil now contain up to 100% PCR, where technically feasible.

We’ve tested more than 50 reuse and refill models worldwide.

Some are gaining traction. We’re expanding at-home reuse–refill options through our deodorant brands like Dove and Wild. In the UK, Cif’s Infinite Clean all-in-one spray features a premium reusable trigger that reduces plastic by 50%. In Indonesia, we have a growing network of more than 1,000 refill outlets offering Home Care products from brands like Rinso, Sunlight and Wipol.

Not every pilot leads to scale, but every pilot delivers insights. We’ve learnt changing consumer habits takes time, and what works in one place might not work in another. Scaling new packaging formats and models requires action across the value chain – from brands and retailers to waste management and policymakers.

That’s why we’re also working with industry partners to test shared reuse systems on a larger sale. For example, Unilever is taking part in the Consumer Goods Forum’s city-wide reuse–refill initiative launching in Ottawa, Canada, in 2026.

Our biggest challenge when it comes to recyclability is finding viable and scalable replacements for things that are hard to recycle, like plastic sachets, bottle pumps and spray triggers. Our rigid and flexible packaging types pose unique challenges, so we’re taking different approaches and have set different targets for each.

When it comes to rigid packaging – things like bottle caps and spray pumps – we’re designing for recycling while also working to increase actual recyclability, in practice and at scale. For example, we’re rolling out mono-material plastic pumps and triggers across our brands, including TRESemmé, Vaseline and Cif.

We’re long-term collaborators with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. In 2018, we were among the first to sign the Global Commitment – the world’s largest voluntary effort on plastic waste and pollution, now uniting over 1,200 businesses representing 20% of the global plastic packaging market.

In 2025, we endorsed both the 2030 Global Commitment and the Plastics Agenda for Business, calling for whole-industry action, collaboration and regulations to accelerate progress.

We’re also members of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste, which brings together the biggest players in our industry to collaborate on progress towards a circular economy for plastic packaging. We contributed to the Consumer Goods Forum’s Golden Design Rules for optimal plastics design, production and recycling.

In several countries, we’re members of Plastics Pact Network. These pacts bring together national governments, NGOs and business as they join forces to avoid plastic waste across their value chains.

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes can strengthen recycling systems by ensuring that funding is reinvested into waste management and packaging innovation.

They can also give governments and the wider value chain better visibility of what packaging is placed on the market, and how it’s managed.

Unilever supports mandatory and well-designed EPR policies where producers are fairly and financially responsible for the costs associated with the end-of-life of their packaging put into the market, including collection, sorting and recycling.

We call for EPR schemes that reflect local waste management needs. Social inclusiveness and fairness are essential, particularly in markets where informal waste sector workers play a key role.

We signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s public statement on EPR, as well as the Consumer Goods Forum’s position on EPR design and guidance on EPR in low- and middle-income countries.