Nestlé expects more than half of its targeted virgin plastic reduction through 2030 to come from a single lever: increasing recycled content in its packaging.

The food and beverage giant laid out the plan in a packaging sustainability strategy published this month. Nestlé aims to cut virgin plastic use by 12% to 17% by 2030 from a 2018 baseline, pursuing three main avenues: incorporating more recycled content, reducing overall plastic use, and innovating with reuse and refill solutions. The company noted the target accounts for its planned sell-off of a stake in its water business for approximately $3.4 billion.

The strategy marks a shift in emphasis. Before 2025, Nestlé had prioritized targets such as making all of its packaging recyclable, compostable or reusable. It ultimately achieved that for about 90% of its portfolio.

50% to 60% from recycled plastic

Nestlé expects 50% to 60% of its planned virgin plastic improvement to come from incorporating more recycled plastic. As of 2025, its plastic packaging contained about 21% recycled content. As part of this effort, the company says it is engaged in research on the food safety of recycled plastics to expand the use of recycled PET.

30% to 40% from reduction and elimination

Nestlé attributes 30% to 40% of the planned improvement to reducing and eliminating plastic outright. Plastic accounted for about a quarter of the company's packaging portfolio by weight in 2025. Its total plastics packaging use fell to 0.86 million metric tons in 2025 from 1.7 million tons in 2018.

Paper swaps are one reduction avenue. Nestlé recently became one of six founding members of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's new PaperFlex Consortium, which aims to accelerate R&D for paper-based flexible packaging as an alternative to plastic. Commercialized examples cited in the strategy include replacing plastic laminates with paper in Nescafé paper soft packs in Europe.

10% to 15% from alternative materials and reuse

The remaining 10% to 15% of the improvement is expected from using alternative materials or implementing reuse and refill solutions. In 2025, just 0.51% of Nestlé's packaging was reusable. The updated strategy highlights untapped opportunities in at-home refill products, but the company still considers reuse and refill models largely to be in the pilot stage.

For packaging suppliers and sustainability teams tracking CPG commitments, the breakdown signals where demand will concentrate: recycled PET capacity, paper-based flexibles and food-safety research will carry most of the weight through 2030.