Packaging serves a crucial role in safeguarding food and beverages, preserving their freshness, and minimizing food spoilage. It also conveys vital details, including the source of ingredients and their nutritional profiles. However, the improper handling of packaging waste at its end-of-life stage is an environmental issue, impacting the quality of water and soil, as well as affecting biodiversity and local communities. In alignment with our Doing Better Every Day strategy, Almarai is dedicated to mitigating the environmental impact of packaging by striking a balance between finding sustainable packaging solutions without compromising the freshness and taste of our products. We aim to do this by placing Innovation at the forefront of our approach. Our focus will be on inventive designs, materials, and technologies, to not only reduce the volume of materials entering waste streams but also enhance supply chain efficiency. Therefore, we have set an ambitious target to prevent 9,000 metric tons of plastic waste from entering waste streams by 2025.
We recognize that cross-functional collaboration is also critical to our ability to deliver more sustainable solutions for packaging, especially in the areas of:
As a result, we have been working with packaging suppliers, recyclers, plastics manufacturer, National Center for Waste Management (MWAN), and Saudi Investment Recycling Company (SIRC) to reduce waste at source and divert most waste away from landfill. We are also active members of National Circular Packaging Committee, which is a cross sectoral industry forum whose goal is to help divert post- consumer packaging from landfill. The group aims to support establish regulations that promote the circularity of packaging throughout Saudi Arabia. This partnership underscores a collective dedication to sustainable practices and environmental responsibility within the packaging industry in KSA.
To help create lasting positive impact on the world of packaging, we participate in and collaborate closely with many different organizations, including:
7,916 metric tons of packaging reduction since 2018.
5,254 metric tons in total of plastic packaging reduction since 2018.
2,663 metric tons of paper removed from packaging since 2018.
83% of carboard packaging from recycled materials in FY 2024.
We are on course to meet our ambitious target of preventing 9,000 metric tons of waste by the year 2025. This progress is mainly due to the gradual increase in the availability of recycled materials and our proactive efforts in packaging redesign. To date, we have successfully averted 7,916 metric tons of waste. In the year 2024 alone, we achieved a significant reduction, eliminating 535 metric tons of plastic compared to 164 metric ton in the previous year. To achieve this, we have been investing in research and development to discover new ways of reducing packaging while maintaining a safe and enjoyable experience for our customers. We have also done investments at our manufacturing sites, with an aim to deliver reductions in the amount of corrugated board consumed through redesigning our outer boxes to be more resource efficient. Additionally, we are exploring opportunities to incorporate recycled and biodegradable materials and eliminate and reduce pigments in packaging materials to further minimize our environmental impact.
On 13 November 2024, Almarai entered into a partnership agreement with SIG, a leader in sustainable packaging. Over the next five years, SIG will provide Almarai with flexible manufacturing solutions that support our sustainability objectives. This strategic partnership highlights our mutual dedication to environmental stewardship and the pursuit of innovative packaging solutions that will enhance our operational efficiency and geographic reach.
Almarai continued to use HPET for our Zabadi cups and poultry trays. This initiative is helping us reduce our packaging usage by up to 25%, without affecting the quality, strength, and sturdiness expected for the packaging. This initiative will also have secondary benefits, as it will reduce our transportation carbon footprint due to reduced weight.
Goal/Target
Progress
Avoid the use of 9,000 metric tons of plastics from entering the consumer waste stream by 2025 (against a 2015 baseline)
Actively support the transformation of the packaging economy in KSA by 2025
