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Nestlé says it aims to reduce virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with 2018, through more recycled material, less plastic packaging and reuse or refill options. The company says recycled content will account for 50% to 60% of the planned improvement; reuse and refill are still largely at the pilot stage.
Nestlé has set out a plan to cut its virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with 2018, using more recycled plastic, reducing packaging and developing reuse and refill options. The strategy, published this month, updates the food and beverage company’s packaging priorities as plastic made up about a quarter of its packaging portfolio by weight in 2025.
The company expects 50% to 60% of the planned improvement to come from incorporating more recycled plastic. Nestlé said its plastic packaging contained about 21% recycled content in 2025. It is researching the food safety of recycled plastics as it seeks to expand the use of recycled PET.
Nestlé attributes another 30% to 40% of the improvement to reducing or eliminating plastic. Its total plastic packaging use was 0.86 million metric tons in 2025, down from 1.7 million tons in 2018. The figures describe total plastic packaging use, while the new target concerns virgin plastic use.
The remaining 10% to 15% of the improvement is expected to come from alternative materials or reuse and refill solutions. Nestlé said its strategy accounts for the planned sale of a stake in its water business for approximately $3.4 billion. The source report does not give a completion date for that sale.
Recycled Plastic Carries the Plan
The strategy indicates that Nestlé expects recycled material to do most of the work toward its target. That makes the availability and suitability of recycled plastic, including material that meets food safety requirements, relevant to whether the company can deliver the reductions it has outlined. Nestlé says it is researching food safety to support broader use of recycled PET; the strategy does not specify how much additional supply it expects to secure.
The plan also sets out limits to the role of packaging alternatives. Nestlé reported that only 0.51% of its packaging was reusable in 2025, and described reuse and refill models as largely at the pilot stage. The company therefore expects those models and alternative materials to contribute a smaller share of the planned improvement than recycled content or plastic reduction.
For readers, the target is a company commitment that can be tracked against a stated baseline and deadline. The published figures offer a starting point, but they do not by themselves show how much of the 2030 reduction has already been achieved or whether the planned approaches will meet the target.
From Recyclable Packaging to Virgin Plastic
Before 2025, Nestlé emphasized goals such as making all its packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable. The company ultimately achieved that status for about 90% of its portfolio, according to the report. Its updated strategy places a specific reduction in virgin plastic use at the center of its stated plans through 2030.
Plastic packaging use declined from 1.7 million metric tons in 2018 to 0.86 million metric tons in 2025, according to the figures reported by Food Dive. Plastic still accounted for about a quarter of the packaging portfolio by weight in 2025. The company’s new virgin plastic target uses 2018 as its baseline, but the source does not provide the corresponding 2018 virgin plastic tonnage.
Nestlé has also joined five other founding members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s PaperFlex Consortium, which aims to accelerate research and development of paper-based flexible packaging. The strategy cites one commercial example: replacing plastic laminates with paper in Nescafé paper soft packs in Europe. The report does not provide a volume of plastic saved by that product change.
“The company is researching the food safety of recycled plastics to expand the use of recycled PET.”
— Nestlé, describing its approach to recycled materials
Progress and Supply Remain Open
The published strategy sets a target and describes expected contributions from three approaches, but the report does not provide an annual schedule of reductions or a current figure for virgin plastic use against the 2018 baseline. It is therefore not clear from the available material how much progress Nestlé has made toward the specific 12% to 17% target.
The company also does not specify how much recycled plastic it will need, how it will obtain that material, or when its food safety research may support wider use of recycled PET. Details such as investment costs and the expected reduction from individual packaging changes are not reported. Reuse and refill solutions are described as largely at the pilot stage, with no timeline for wider rollout.
The target takes into account a planned sale of a stake in Nestlé’s water business for about $3.4 billion, but the source does not state when the sale is expected to close or how the transaction changes the target’s calculation. The report also does not identify the stake’s precise scope.
Tracking the 2030 Reduction
The stated deadline is 2030, with progress measured against 2018. Further company reporting will be needed to show changes in virgin plastic use, the share supplied by recycled content, and the extent to which reductions come from packaging changes or reuse and refill programs.
Nestlé’s strategy points to ongoing work on recycled PET safety, paper-based flexible packaging research through the PaperFlex Consortium, and refill opportunities for products used at home. The source does not set dates for the next progress update or for moving pilot programs into broader use. The planned water business stake sale is another outstanding development included in the target’s assumptions.
Key Questions
What is Nestlé’s virgin plastic target?
Nestlé says it aims to reduce virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030, compared with a 2018 baseline.
How does Nestlé plan to reduce virgin plastic?
The company lists three approaches: using more recycled plastic, reducing or eliminating plastic packaging, and developing alternative materials or reuse and refill solutions.
Which approach is expected to contribute the most?
Nestlé expects recycled content to account for 50% to 60% of the planned improvement. It reported that recycled content made up about 21% of its plastic packaging in 2025.
How much of Nestlé’s packaging was reusable in 2025?
Nestlé reported that 0.51% of its packaging was reusable in 2025. Its strategy describes reuse and refill models as largely at the pilot stage.
Has Nestlé said how much progress it has made toward the new target?
The source report does not give a current virgin plastic use figure against the 2018 baseline or an annual reduction schedule, so progress toward the specific target is not clear from the available information.
Source: rss
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