\n
<\/p>\n
In its 2025 Global Responsibility Report, General Mills goes into considerable detail about its approach to flexible packaging and strategies for facilitating the recycling of flexible packaging.<\/p>\n
The company notes that 13 percent, or 165 million pounds, of its packaging by weight is plastic, with the vast majority being flexible plastic.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur primary focus has been on transitioning to mono-PE<\/a>, which can be recycled in the U.S. through the store drop-off program,\u201d the company states. \u201cGeneral Mills recognized early on that the only infrastructure with widespread access for recycling flexibles is through store drop-off bins placed at the front of many retail locations around the country.\u201d<\/p>\n The company adds: \u201cRetailers are able to provide this benefit to consumers by combining their back-of-house pallet wrap with mono-PE packaging and recycling it through responsible end markets \u2014 for example, a large portion of this material is used to make composite decking. Since beginning our transition, we\u2019ve shifted 46 million pounds from non-recyclable multi-material to mono-PE.\u201d<\/p>\n The company uses the How-2Recycle\u2122 Store Drop-Off label<\/a> on all of its packaging that has made the transition to mono-PE, and the company labels its multi-material packaging with a Do-Not-Recycle graphic to avoid consumer confusion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also know that there is a lot of work to do to make it easier for consumers to recycle mono-PE flexibles, and that is why we have been providing funding to The Recycling Partnership Film & Flexible Collaborative, The Association of Plastic Recyclers (APR)<\/a> PE Film Design Guide and The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) Flexible Packaging Recovery Collaborative as well as supporting the Flexible Films Recycling Alliance (FFRA),\u201d the company notes.<\/p>\n The company\u2019s efforts to improve recycling infrastructure include investing in the state-of-the-art plastics recycling plant owned by GDB Circular (MN), Inc., in the company\u2019s home state of Minnesota.<\/p>\n \u201cAchieving our packaging ambition requires both integration and ownership across the company. That\u2019s why each of our business segments \u2014 North America Retail, North America Foodservice, Pet and International \u2014 now has dedicated teams and assigned resources to achieve this commitment,\u201d the company states.\u00a0<\/p>\n Each segment has established a glide path for remaining packaging conversions necessary to reach 100% recyclable\/reusable by 2030 and will be focused on executing these plans over the next few years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n