U.S. companies rank low in report measuring corporate ambition and action on reducing plastic packaging
Everyone says they want to cut back on plastic. How are large companies doing keeping those promises?
Ubuntoo, a global collaboration platform that helps companies achieve their sustainability goals, announced the availability of its Plastic Promises report measuring corporate ambition and action on reducing plastic packaging waste, published in partnership with data analytics firm Brandscapes Worldwide, according to a news release.
U.S. retailer Walmart ranked 14th globally among large companies in a scoring system that measured ambition and action, but many of the top ranked companies were European. U.S. retailer Target checked in at 33, while Kroger was no. 41, Albertsons was no. 43 and Zespri was no. 44.
The inaugural report will help companies benchmark their plastic sustainability goals and achievements against 176 global companies across 17 industries, according to the release.
The release said companies were ranked against four categories: commitment to virgin plastic reduction; use of recycled content; packaging recyclability; and recovery/collection goals.
"Each goal was then scored based on the extent of the company’s ambition as well as the action it has taken toward its goals," the release said. "Ambition and action scores were combined to arrive at an overall rating."
The report found:
- Out of the top 10 plastic packaging sustainability leaders identified in the report, only three are based in North America;
- Across all companies, packaging recyclability (44%) and virgin plastic reduction (44%) were the most common goals;
- Out of the 95 companies classified as high plastic users based on their industry, 30 did not have any reported plastic sustainability goals; and
- Household products and beverage industries had the highest overall Plastic Packaging Score.
“It’s one thing to have a plan to be plastic neutral — it’s an entirely different thing to execute on it,” Venkatesh Kini, co-founder of Ubuntoo, said in the release. “Our Plastic Promises report is not just a scoreboard but a tool that allows companies to benchmark their progress toward plastic waste reduction and compare themselves against their industry peers."
The report findings were collected from publicly availablesustainability reports of leading corporations, news articles, annual reports, reports to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and press releases, according to the release.
"In the same way that companies are beginning to understand and own their Scope 3 carbon emissions, companies that use plastic need to see beyond their current understanding of what part of the problem they should own. They need to take responsibility beyond the boundaries of what they control directly,” Nina Goodrich, executive director of GreenBlue and director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, said in the release.