Kraft Heinz has unveiled a new goal to reduce the use of virgin plastic in its global packaging portfolio by 20% by 2030.

As a result, the initiative is estimated to reduce the use of approximately 100m pounds of virgin plastic.

This builds on the food company’s broader packaging goals, including to make 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2025 and to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, while halving emissions by 2030.

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As part of this, Heinz has moved to 30% recycled content in most of its bottles in the UK and has partnered with specialists to create recyclable Beans Snap Pots from soft plastics that can be returned to Tesco stores by consumers.

The tomato ketchup maker has also launched an eco-friendly multipack paperboard sleeve to replace plastic shrink-wrap, eliminating more than one million pounds of plastic in 2022.

Kraft Heinz executive vice president, global general counsel, chief sustainability and corporate affairs officer, Rashida La Lande, said: “To achieve our ESG goals, including to reach net-zero GHG emissions, we can’t continue to do things as we have in the past.

“We are investing in innovative technologies and partnerships that are critical to helping us redesign packaging, eliminate unnecessary plastic, increase our use of recycled content, and influence the adoption of reuse models. This is one more way we’re renovating our product portfolio to not only offer more sustainable options, but to deliver on our consumer expectations.”