The packaging sector is growing - to cater for the increasing number of products being transported around the world. However, much of this packaging is not recyclable or ends up polluting our soils, rivers and oceans.

As such, Nestlé, YouGreen and Earthworm Foundation are piloting a franchise model in Brazil to empower collector cooperatives and improve recycling practices. This allows access to markets and re-entry to Nestlé’s supply.

To date, YouGreen and Earthworm have trained one cooperative. 2021 plans include continuing work with this cooperative, as well as scaling up the model to four more cooperatives.

Paper-based packaging accounts for about 50 percent of all pulp and paper produced annually. Since 2011, Nestlé and Earthworm Foundation have been working on pulp and paper packaging as part of Nestlé's No Deforestation and Forest Positive commitments.

Through traceability work, Earthworm estimates that 55 percent of Nestlé’s raw material for packaging is from recovered sources, depending on the product type and geography.

“While our focus has been on the virgin fibre, we recognise that there are challenges in the recovered fibre supply chains," said Earthworm's Alastair Herd. "Because of this, we have been exploring and building our knowledge in these issues in a couple of prioritised supply chains.”

This is an exciting opportunity we are trialing in an urban landscape, with the ambition that other companies engage and collaborate in this journey, said Dov Rosenmann, who leads Earthworm's work in Brazil.

"Our aim is to improve collection efficiencies and use raw materials to their full potential, while doing our part to respect people and act on our climate crisis," said Michele Zollinger, Nestlé's Responsible Sourcing Lead for pulp and paper.