McCormick launches recycled plastic bottle from Berry Global

Hunt Valley, Maryland-based food company McCormick has joined with Evansville, Indiana-based packaging company Berry Global to advance its commitment of using only packaging that can be recycled, repurposed or reused. The collaboration, McCormick says, leverages Berry’s expertise and access to mechanically recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). The new McCormick assorted and neon food color bottles are made from 100-percent postconsumer recycled (PCR) plastic and will begin appearing on shelves across North America this month.

McCormick and Berry have both set 2025 sustainable packaging goals and emissions-reduction targets aligned with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 C in support of the global goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, according to McCormick. By shifting to a bottle made from 100-percent-PCR plastic, McCormick says it is increasing the circularity of its packaging while reducing associated carbon dioxide emissions.

“Deadlines for achieving sustainability goals are fast approaching, and brands want partners who can provide effective, impactful ways to reach those commitments quickly," says Robert Flores, vice president of sustainability at Berry Global. "Berry’s sustainability expertise, coupled with access to recycled content, provides the ability to commercialize sustainable packaging solutions with a lower carbon footprint."

A life cycle assessment estimates McCormick will realize a reduction of 86.8 metric tons of CO2 emissions with the new PCR bottle in comparison to the same bottle made from virgin material, McCormick says. This amounts to a 59 percent reduction in CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to:

• greenhouse gas emissions from 18.7 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven in a year;
• CO2 emissions from 201 barrels of oil consumed; and
• carbon sequestered by 103 acres of U.S. forest in one year.

“By collaborating with key suppliers like Berry, we gain access to valuable recycled content. This 100-percent-PCR bottle furthers our journey towards our emission reduction goal through packaging,” says Michael Okoroafor, chief sustainability officer for McCormick.

McCormick says its 2021 purpose-led performance report details a series of commitments and clear performance targets for 2025 and beyond, aligned with the global UN Sustainable Development Goals–reinforcing commitments to sustainable sourcing and raw material procurement, as well as limiting environmental impacts.

Berry is continuing to leverage its scale to acquire more than 600 million pounds of recycled plastic by 2025, which customers, like McCormick, need to meet sustainable packaging goals, McCormick says. Through recycling advancements and using responsibly sourced renewable resources bioplastics, Berry’s goal is to decouple packaging solutions from fossil fuels that make virgin plastic.