Product companies to eliminate four billion pounds of packaging

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) announced the results of research indicating that food, beverage and consumer product manufacturers anticipate eliminating 4 billion pounds of packaging waste from 2005 to 2020. Over 1.5 billion pounds have already been avoided since 2005, and another 2.5 billion pounds are expected to be avoided by 2020. The four billion pounds represents a 19 percent reduction of reporting companies’ total average United States packaging weight.

The 1.5 billion pounds of packaging avoided since 2005 includes more than 800 million pounds of plastic and more than 500 million pounds of paper. Packaging improvements have spanned most product categories, with no single category dominating. Companies reported that they achieved the 2005 to 2010 reductions through the success of more than 180 distinct improvement initiatives that included package redesigns and increased use of recyclable inputs.