The biggest challenge is the limited availability of high-quality recycled waste materials (owing to a high demand on the market), particularly in developing and emerging markets.Our goal is to develop and implement a sustainable business model for handling our sachet waste streams by 2015.To move to a circular economy approach, we will need to continue to rethink the way we design our products and packaging. No plastic.’ internal framework.We're driving our approach through four ambitious commitments that will radically reshape our plastic use.Some of these plastic-reducing solutions will mean whole new business models for us, and new shopping experiences for our consumers. We have taken a lifecycle approach with a baseline of 2010.Around 9% increase in recycling and recovery rates in 2019, over the 2010 average Recycling and Recovery Index (RRI), averaged across our top 14 countries.This public–private coalition sees 15 governments and over 70 companies and organisations join forces in pledging to avoid plastic waste across their value chains. To help boost recycling rates and develop a functioning infrastructure at scale, we’re involved in a number of partnerships and programmes.We aim to optimise materials each time we redesign our packaging or develop concentrated or compressed versions of our products. That begins by making it technically possible for all our plastic packaging to be reused or recycled – and demonstrating that there are established, proven examples of it being commercially viable for plastics re-processors to recycle the material.Through exploring ways to achieve our commitments and targets, we have found a way to use a plant-based material for tea bags from renewable sources such as corn starch, which can be industrially composted.We are widely recognised as a preferred employer, both by graduates and experienced professionals – find out why.We've taken some big steps forward. This includes tackling wider infrastructural issues, building the technical and commercial viability of reprocessing materials at scale, and setting up long-term offtake agreements to build the business confidence needed to increase technological investment to help ensure better quality recycled materials come into the marketplace.The Notpla sachets are made from a seaweed-based material and naturally biodegrade in approximately six weeks. For example, in 2019, Dove switched to new 100% recycled plastic bottles – where technically feasible – in North America and Europe. Unilever’s plastic packaging footprint today is around 700,000 tonnes annually (including recent acquisitions). We make some of the world’s best-known brands – all are on a journey to reducing their environmental footprint and increasing their positive social impact.By committing to halving our use of virgin plastic, we're ensuring there's less plastic entering the system – not least as we will make an absolute reduction of 100,000 tonnes in plastic use. We’re pleased to share our work and the insights generated with other manufacturers so that this technology and approach can be widely used. But it also presents challenges: low crude oil prices, limited availability of high-quality recycled waste materials, and rules on food packaging can all make progress more difficult in some markets.Draganah Omwange, one of our employees, began a plastic recycling scheme called U-Turn – working in partnership with Mr Green Africa. Specifically, it’s about how we get recycled content into our packaging. Whether through reduced packaging size or improved formatting for ecommerce photos, Unilever is making sure its products have the best chance of performing well online as they do on store shelves.The need to reduce shipping costs has led Seventh Generation to redesign the packaging for one of its detergent products, which is now five pounds lighter and nine inches shorter than the previous version - while still containing the same amount of product, meaning no loss in value to the customer. Reusable packaging. A service could pick up empty containers, replenish them and deliver them back. Brand new materials – and a return of familiar ones such as paper, glass or aluminium (provided we're satisfied they don't have a worse environmental footprint than the material they replace). . The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple our growth from our environmental footprint, while increasing our positive social impact. Combining upstream measures on design and materials with post-use strategies demonstrates the system-wide approach that is required to turn the New Plastics Economy into reality. It was clear from eye tracking that smartphone shoppers scroll fast, don't read the product title and were struggling to see the detail. Unilever successfully applies this intensive strategy by using the generic strategy of differentiation to make its products more competitive and attractive than others.