Waseem Jeenah, Senior R&D Cluster Design Manager Skin Care Unilever NAMET tells Packaging MEA, and any companies that still have doubts about sustainability, why the approach is both laudable and lucrative.
Unilever MENA boasts one of the largest F&B as well as personal care manufacturing facilities in the region, producing hair and skincare products. Packaging MEA caught up with Waseem Jeenah, Senior R&D Manager, Skin Care, NAMET region, to learn more about the global brand owners’ initiatives and plans for a sustainable future.
Packaging MEA (PMEA): How would you define “Circular Economy for Packaging” from Unilever’s Stand-point?
Waseem Jeenah (WJ): Unilever, as a signatory of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, is aligned to the definition outlined by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, that plastic should never become waste. To tackle plastic waste and pollution, we must move beyond recycling and the elimination of only the most commonly identified problematic packaging. Through innovation, product and supply chain redesign, and new reuse business models, we can reduce our virgin plastic packaging use, while unlocking new economic opportunities.
Unilever is a major user of plastic and fully committed to understanding that we have a responsibility to the environment and to our consumers. We can only eliminate plastic waste by acting fast and taking radical action at all points in the plastic cycle. Our starting point has to be design; reducing the amount of plastic we use and then making sure that what we do use increasingly comes from recycled sources. Hence the circular economy appears the best way forward, as it ensures economic value is not lost, and generates new opportunities for increased economic activity through the creation of new business.
PMEA: What are Unilever MENA’s next steps on packaging in a circular, low-carbon economy?
WJ: Unilever across MENA is committed to the development of a circular economy. You may have recently seen our commitments released in October to halve our use of virgin plastic, as well as helping to collect and process more plastic packaging than we sell by 2025.
In this regard we have accelerated even further our efforts with various partners throughout the region to achieve these ambitious and necessary commitments. As you may have seen, on-shelf we have launched new brands such as Love, Beauty and Planet made with 100% recycled plastic in most formats, and we will continue to launch more products in recycled and recyclable materials.
PMEA: What role do you think the government and regulation authorities should play within the packaging space to further improve sustainability?
WJ: The UAE government has a strong vision to divert 75% of waste from landfill by 2021.
PMEA: What sort of partner- ships and collaborations do you think will be necessary to drive the packaging industry forward?
WJ: A circular economy is really that; we need to look across the entire value chain of plastic, and all of these need partners. Starting from resin producers and on to converters, manufacturers, waste management, recyclers and retailers, the entire loop must be closed. Unilever has made this first step along with other companies and the government here through the establishment of the Coalition of Innovation in Recycling towards a Closed Loop Economy (Coalition Circle)
PMEA: What is one thing you hope to say to our readers regard- ing sustainable packaging?
WJ: Sustainable packaging is not a burden. As companies, it is our responsibility to take ownership of what we put out there, and in the longer run it makes good business sense . The circular economy is not about increasing your financial burden, it is about ensuring economic value does not end up like our plastic in the ocean but rather in a closed loop where we all benefit.
Ensuring plastic sustainability will ensure we have consumers who can use our products without guilt and ensure we have a environment that will continue providing for us and our consumers. It has always been Unilever’s belief that what is good for our consumer is good for our business and which is why in 2010 as a part of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan we committed to decoupling our environmental footprint from our growth as a company. This vision has served us well and we believe is still a very strong compass moving forward. Consumers will simply reject companies who are not responsible.
Unilever is fully committed to pushing forward with the circular economy here in MENA as well as across the globe. We will need partners to come along with us on this journey and it is absolutely vital that we all work together in achieving this.