Significance
Importance To Berry Global and our Stakeholders
Sustainable product innovation is vital for our business to meet consumer preferences and market demands, continue responsible growth, and stay ahead of environmental regulations. Material sourcing and design for end-of-life are key aspects of sustainable product innovation as they help ensure we can provide competitive packaging solutions that meet our customers’ expectations for environmental and social impact as well as regulatory compliance. Sustainable design practices also help improve cost efficiency, mitigate risks associated with resource scarcity, regulatory changes, and market shifts, and increase long-term business viability.
Our Customers: Product innovation helps our customers drive growth. Responsible material sourcing and circular product design also support our customers in achieving their sustainability goals, complying with regulation, and aligning with consumer values.
Our Investors: Innovative products are key to driving organic growth, thereby creating shareholder value. Developing products that comply and/or stay ahead of regulations further protect shareholder value, including Berry’s reputation in the market.
Our Approach
We serve a diverse range of leading global, national, and mid-sized regional and local specialty businesses for consumer-oriented end markets such as healthcare, personal care, and food & beverage. From product functionality, durability, and economic profile to its ability to provide a lower carbon footprint vs. other materials, plastics offers a range of benefits that make it a popular choice among our customers.
We strive to provide the highest quality products and services to exceed our customers’ expectations. In addition, we align with our customers and other stakeholders to minimize the lifecycle impact of our products and help ensure they fit into the design standards of a circular, net-zero economy. Optimized product lifecycle management requires engaging with leading organizations on initiatives across the value chain that support our strategic sustainability goals.
Responsible material sourcing and the use of more sustainable materials is key to mitigating the impacts of our products, and by designing for circularity, we can close the loop to minimize the environmental footprint of our products. Designing for circularity also requires we work to reduce the use and presence of chemicals of concern in our products so that they are not transferred to other products when they are recycled.
Highlights and Target progress
| Target | 2023 Progress |
| 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable packaging by 2025 |
86% of our product portfolio is reusable, recyclable, or compostable, up from 83% in 2022, and 91% of the portfolio is recyclable or has replacement validated recyclable solutions available. |
| Lightweight products | Estimated 1% annual product weight reduction achieved |
| Increase use of circular plastics | Circular Plastics make up 9.7% of total resin consumed, up from 9.2% in 2022. |
| 10% post-consumer recycled content across our packaging by 2025 | Post-Consumer Recycled Resin (PCR) makes up 3.6% of total resin purchases, up from 3.4% in 2022. |
Key Metrics
The below metrics are based on Berry's Fiscal Years unless otherwise noted.
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Portfolio Management |
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2021 |
2022 | 2023 |
| Patents | Number | ||
| Issued Patents | 297 |
243 |
296 |
| Production Volume | Million (MT) | ||
| Volume Processed | 4.2 | 3.9 | 3.6 |
| Production Material Type | Percentage of production revenue | ||
| Plastics | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Paper / Wood | <1% | <1% | <1% |
| Glass | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Metal | <1% | <1% | <1% |
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Material Sourcing |
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2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Resin Purchasing | Percentage of total resin purchases |
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| Asia | 4% | 3% | 4% |
| Europe, Middle East, India, and Africa (EMEIA) | 35% |
34% | 35% |
| North America | 55% |
57% | 54% |
| South America | 6% |
5% | 7% |
| Circular Resin Sourcing |
Percentage of total resin purchases | ||
| Total post-consumer recycled resin (PCR) purchased | 2.6% | 3.4% | 3.6% |
| Externally reprocessed PCR | 1.9% | 2.7% | 2.9% |
| Internally reprocessed PCR | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Total post-industrial recycled resin (PIR) purchased | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Externally reprocessed PCR | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Internally reprocessed PCR | 0.8% | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Total Recycled Resin (PCR & PIR) purchased | 3.6% | 4.6% | 4.8% |
| Total Bioplastics (Renewable) purchased | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Total Circular Plastics purchased | 3.9% | 4.9% | 5.4% |
| Percentage of Total Volume of Resin Consumed | |||
| Internal Reprocessed Scrap (PIR)¹ Consumed |
5.4% | 4.5% | 4.6% |
| Total Recycled Resin (PCR & PIR) Consumed | 8.9% | 8.8% |
9.1% |
| Total Circular Plastics Consumed | 9.1% | 9.2% | 9.7% |
| Sustainable Material Sourcing | Percentage | ||
| Percentage of Wood Fibre purchases Sustainable Forestry Initiative® (SFI) Certified² | 97% |
99% | 99% |
| Percentage of Aluminum purchases Aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI) Certified² | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Chain of Custody Certifications | Number | ||
| ISCC+ | 39 |
67 |
64 |
| EUCertPlast | 2 |
2 | 2 |
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Optimizing Design |
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2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Product End-of-Life | Percentage of total Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) Packaging by Volume | ||
| Reusable | <1% | <1% | <1% |
| Recyclable | 79% | 83% | 86% |
| Compostable | <1% | <1% | <1% |
| Percentage of total Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) Packaging by Sales | |||
| Reusable | No Data |
<1% | <1% |
| Recyclable | No Data |
80% | 83% |
| Compostable | No Data |
<1% | <1% |
1. Certain reprocessed Scrap is considered as PIR, but we have separated this out from our purchased PIR metrics. This metric includes scrap significantly reprocessed on separate lines, transferred for reprocessing at different facilities within Berry, or sent to a non-Berry business for conversion and then brought back to Berry for use. For this metric, the percentage listed is the percentage of both total resin purchased and reprocessed.
2. Includes only material sourced for use in our products.
Key Strategies
Portfolio Management
In 2023, we were issued 296 new patents, bringing the total issued to Berry worldwide since 2019 to over 1,400.
Our world-class R&D experts focus on solutions that meet our sustainability commitments as fast as possible, and through a global network of people, partners, processes, and leading technological investments, we are able to take hypotheses through to breakthrough solutions faster than ever for our customers. Our design and innovation centers across the globe supporting the development of innovative solutions for both existing and new applications.
Circular Resin Sourcing
In 2023, we increased the amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) and total circular resin purchased across our business by both volume and percentage of total purchased resin. PCR now makes up 3.6% of our overall resin purchases, up from 2.2% in 2019 and 3.4% in 2022, and circular resin purchases are up from 4.9% in 2022 to 5.4%. We also track our use of internal, post-industrial recycled (PIR) resin from the significant reprocessing of scrap. When accounting for this, our total circular resin usage across the business is 9.7%, up from 9.2% in 2022.
See how the strides we’re making to improve the use of recycled content extend across our stock portfolio and customer collaborations here
In some cases, we can replace the fossil fuel feedstocks in products with renewable resources, like used cooking oils, forestry residue, sugar cane, and more. See more examples of our use of renewable resins here.
Circular Material Sourcing
In addition to our resin sourcing commitments, we are working to incorporate more sustainable non-plastic raw materials into our products, such as the use of fiber pulp and Aluminum foil.
Of all the wood fiber used in our products in 2022, 99% has been certified by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® for sustainable forest management practices, and 18% of the Aluminum sourced for our products was certified by the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative.
ISCC Plus Certification
We have been actively pursuing International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certifications across Berry facilities. ISCC PLUS certification allows us to bring in-demand, certified circular products to market, presenting our customers with options for advanced recycled materials on a mass-balance basis to meet their sustainability goals. Information on our approach to sourcing raw material responsibly and conducting business with suppliers who share our commitment to an ethical and sustainable value chain can be found on the Building Responsible Supply Chains page.
At the end of FY23, we had 64 facilities that are ISCC PLUS certified, including all North American rigid plastic foodservice manufacturing locations.
Optimizing Design: Reusable, Recyclable and Compostable Products
We are focused on using product design to extend the lifecycle of our products, minimize waste, and divert them from disposal methods such as landfill or incineration. Throughout 2023, we continued to collaborate with our customers to identify and align key product lines that advance the circular economy by developing reusable, recyclable, and/or compostable alternatives to problematic or unnecessary packaging. Our primary means of improving product circularity is through material substitution to widely recyclable plastics, focusing on mono-material design, and eliminating problematic design features. In addition, we continue to work to drive demand for recycled plastic through our material sourcing strategy.
In 2023, 86% of our products were designed for recycling, up from 83% in 2022 and 79% in 2021. These improvements are a result of work across our divisions to eliminate non-recyclable packaging, such as colored PET, black packaging using carbon black as a colorant, and multi-material composites. An additional portion of the increase since 2019 is as a result of updates to guidance on measuring design for recyclability as a result of improvements in recycling infrastructure. In calculating our designed for recycling percentage, we used the guidelines outlined by the Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR) and RecyClass for the appropriate regions. For RecyClass, we only considered packaging that scored a rating of A-C as designed for recycling.
In addition to our current, recyclable packaging sales, we also have validated recyclable solutions that could be used in place of 5% of our non-recyclable packaging. We are currently working with customers to convert from their current, non-recyclable packaging to these validated, recyclable solutions. Discover how our efforts to improve the recyclability of our products are making an impact.
We also increased our year-on-year volume of reusable packaging sales, though reusable and compostable solutions still represent a relatively small portion of our portfolio. Explore the reusable circular solutions we offer to our customers.
With the desire for recyclable packaging continually growing among customers, we expect to make continued progress toward our goal of 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable fast-moving consumer packaging over the next two years.
Optimizing Design: Lightweighting
In addition to reducing the raw material requirements of our products, product lightweighting remains one of the most straightforward and effective ways to reduce lifecycle impacts across every impact category. These impact reductions are consistently confirmed by lifecycle assessments (LCAs) we perform on our products using third-party LCA software. Lightweighting is conducted across Berry without compromising the product’s quality or function and is enabled by enhanced product design and material science.
In 2023 we continued our long-term efforts and lightweighted our overall product portfolio by an estimated average of 1% reduction. See examples of the progress we’ve made to offer more lightweight products to our customers.
Disclosures
Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
We promote responsible end-of-life for our products through responsible material sourcing and sustainable design practices that help eliminate plastic pollution in water bodies, preserve water quality, and maintain high sanitation standards.
We create a positive impact on society and the economy through responsible production practices. By continuously striving to improve resource efficiency and sustainable sourcing, we help achieve economic growth across our business that is in-line with a net-zero and circular economy.
We embrace sustainable sourcing and manufacturing practices that help foster innovation and drive the development of new sustainable products by investing in infrastructure and leveraging our global R&D capabilities.
Designing products with sustainable end-of-life considerations significantly reduces waste generation within urban environments. Additionally, responsible sourcing eases pressure on infrastructure. We increase the sustainability of communities by working towards a circular economy
The use of recycled or bio-based plastic reduces the demand for virgin fossil fuels and mitigates the negative effects of resource depletion. By designing for recycling and reuse we help close the loop on plastic waste, further preserving natural resources and reducing the burden on waste systems.
By using recycled content and designing lighter-weight products, we help mitigate greenhouse gas emissions produced during the lifecycle of our products, reducing emissions across the plastics supply chain, and contributing to climate action.
We are committed to designing circular products with responsible end-of-life scenarios, including reuse and recycling, to help diminish marine plastic pollution and safeguard marine ecosystems.
Sustainable product innovation helps minimize the amount of waste mismanaged or sent to landfill, reducing plastic pollution and the degradation of vital habitats and ecosystems. By designing for reuse and recycling, we deliver innovative solutions for our customers that help mitigate our impact to life on land.
Building partnerships for sustainable production innovation between consumers, brands, and suppliers is crucial for achieving the SDGs. Such partnerships allow us to drive sustainable material sourcing and encourage responsible production and consumption practices.
GRI and SASB Alignment
GRI 301(3-3) Management of MaterialsGRI 301-1 Materials Used by Weight or Volume
GRI 301-2 Recycled Input Materials Used
SASB RT-CP-410a.1 Percentage of Raw Materials From: (1) Recycled Content (2) Renewable Resources (3) Renewable and Recycled Content
SASB RT-CP-410a.2 Revenue from Products that are Reusable, Recyclable, and/or Compostable
SASB RT-CP-410a.3 Discussion of Strategies to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Packaging Throughout its Lifecycle
SASB RT-CP-430a.1 Total Wood Fiber Procured, Percentage from Certified Sources
SASB RT-CP-430a.2 Total Aluminum Purchased, Percentage from Certified Sources
SASB RT-CP-000.A Amount of Production, by Substrate
SASB RT-CP-000.B Percentage of Production as: (1) Paper/Wood (2) Glass (3) Metal (4) Plastic
Last Updated: December 13th 2023