PITTSBURGH — Kraft Heinz is working to create more sustainable options for its ketchup packets and other products by making the packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025.
Consumers and investors have been pushing the company to adjust its packaging for the last few years, according to Caroline Krajewski a Kraft spokeswoman.
The goal could lead to major changes in popular brands’ packaging such as Heinz ketchup packets and Kraft Singles cheese.
“Everything is on the table,” Krajewski remarked in an interview with Bloomberg. “We have a tough road ahead of us on certain packaging types, and there are issues where we’ll have to band together with third parties and industry coalitions because no one of us can progress change in that area by ourselves.”
Data collection has begun within the company to determine a baseline level of their recyclable and compostable packaging. This information is said to be disclosed to the public once it is completed, according to Krajewski.
The company has not yet found solutions for packaging that is non-recyclable and non-reusable, like their ketchup packets, but they are working towards finding them. Krajewski reminded that new packaging will have to balance both sustainability with requirements for food safety and appearance.
“We’re really entering brand-new territory here,” Krajewski said. “We now have this seven-year runway to create a new solution. Where a technical solution does not exist, we’ll need to find one.”
Over the course of the next seven years, Kraft Heinz will partner with organizations and experts to develop alternative recycled materials for its packaging.