Food, beverage and consumer product makers expect that they will have eliminated four billion pounds of packaging waste nationwide between 2005 and 2020, according to two surveys conducted for the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).
GMA said the reduction represents a 19-percent cut in the reporting companies' average U.S. packaging weight.
The surveys by McKinsey & Company and Georgetown Economic Services found that the companies have already avoided 1.5 billion pounds of packaging waste since 2005, including 800 million pounds of plastic and more than 500 million pounds of paper. Firms answering the GMA survey said they achieved the 2005-2010 reductions through more than 180 distinct improvement initiatives, including packaging redesigns and increased use of recyclable materials.
No single product category dominated the packaging improvements, the GMA said.
