Driscoll’s, the world’s fresh berry leader, today joins The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment to help advance its pledge to prioritize sustainable packaging solutions that protect fresh berries while minimizing an environmental impact. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, and unites more than 500 signatories behind a common vision of a circular economy for plastic, in which plastics stay in the economy and out of the environment.
“Better berries deserve better packaging. We have the opportunity to collaborate with many of the world’s leading brands throughout the journey to sustainable packaging in order to achieve scalable and economically viable solutions,” said J. Miles Reiter, Driscoll’s Chairman and CEO. “Signing the Global Commitment elevates our existing work by holding us to a higher standard, and serves as a commitment to transparency as well as annual reporting to accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastic.”
To help realize the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, all business and government signatories commit to a set of ambitious targets. As a signatory, Driscoll’s by 2025 will minimize the impact of plastic packaging on the environment by committing to the following:
- Take action to eliminate problematic or unnecessary packaging
- Conduct a packaging analysis of all inbound and outbound plastic
- Optimize clamshells to reduce unnecessary plastic
- Transition to paper packaging in Driscoll’s European markets where infrastructure allows
- Take action to move from single-use towards reuse models where relevant
- Replace single-use shipping containers with reusable plastic containers for receiving packaging
- Take action to achieve 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable
- Transition to washable Biaxially-Oriented Polypropylene (BOPP) labels and recyclable pads
- Include How2Recycle label on all clamshells in the U.S. and Canada to increase proper disposal of packaging by consumers
- In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Driscoll’s will focus on transitioning to paper packaging where feasible and revert the company’s two-piece packaging model to a paper-pack with heat seal
- Set an ambitious 2025 recycled content target across all plastic packaging used
- Driscoll’s clamshells currently contain over 50% recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), which mainly comes from recycled bottles. As part of Driscoll’s commitment, the company will focus on increasing the amount of PET content that comes from recycled clamshells in effort to promote a more closed-loop system
By signing the Global Commitment, Driscoll’s has committed to broad and significant action towards a more sustainable product offering that’s good for both people and the planet.
“The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment unites businesses, governments and others behind a clear vision of a circular economy for plastic. We are pleased Driscoll’s is joining us, by setting concrete 2025 targets,” said Sander Defruyt, Lead of the New Plastics Economy initiative at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “Our vision is for a world where plastic never becomes waste or pollution. It will be a challenging journey, but by coming together we can eliminate the plastics we don’t need and innovate, so the plastics we do need can be safely and easily circulated – keeping them in the economy and out of the environment.”
Delivering safe, high-quality and great tasting berries to consumers around the world requires packaging to be a critical component to the success of Driscoll’s. In early 2020, Driscoll’s and others across the fresh berry industry made a joint pledge to achieve 100% recycle-ready packaging by 2025. Since then, Driscoll’s has taken on a series of packaging initiatives that are delivering positive results. As of March 2021, Driscoll’s has achieved 10% recycled content from post-consumer clamshells and has reduced its packaging footprint by 366,000 kilograms of PET.
In addition, Driscoll’s put its commitment into action through goal-setting and developing new collaborations which included joining the Sustainable Packaging Coalition in 2019. This includes adopting the inclusion of the How2Recycle label on clamshells, a label that helps brands and consumers understand the material makeup of its packaging and how to properly dispose of it. How2Recycle improves the reliability and transparency of recyclability claims and helps ensure that more plastic is recycled and kept out of landfills.
To learn about more about Driscoll’s packaging journey and updates, visit www.Driscolls.com.
About Driscoll’s
Driscoll’s is the global market leader of fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. With more than 100 years of farming heritage, Driscoll’s is a pioneer of berry flavor innovation and the trusted consumer brand of Only the Finest Berries™. With more than 900 independent growers around the world, Driscoll’s develops exclusive patented berry varieties using only traditional breeding methods that focus on growing great tasting berries. A dedicated team of agronomists, breeders, sensory analysts, plant pathologists and entomologists help grow baby seedlings that are then grown on local family farms. Driscoll’s now serves consumers year-round across North America, Australia, Europe and China in over twenty-two countries. As a fourth-generation grower and the son of one of Driscoll’s founders, J. Miles Reiter serves as Chairman and CEO.
About the New Plastics Economy
Since 2016, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative has rallied businesses and governments behind a positive vision of a circular economy for plastics. Its 2016 and 2017 New Plastics Economy reports captured worldwide headlines, revealing the financial and environmental costs of waste plastic and pollution.
The initiative is supported by Wendy Schmidt as Lead Philanthropic Partner, and the Oak Foundation as a Philanthropic Partner. Amcor, Borealis, The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, L’Oréal, MARS, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, Veolia and Walmart are the initiative’s Partners.
Further information: emf.org/plastics | @circulareconomy
About The Global Commitment
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme, unites businesses, governments and other organisations behind a common vision and targets to address plastic waste and pollution at its source. Signatories will work to eliminate the plastic items we don’t need, innovate so all plastics we do need are designed to be safely reused, recycled or composted, and circulate everything we use to keep it in the economy and out of the environment.
Since launching in 2018, already more than 500 signatories have committed to keeping plastics in the economy and out of the environment. All business and government signatories commit to ambitious 2025 targets and public annual reporting.
Further information: emf.org/global-commitment
