Hormel Foods will cut packaging use by 10 million pounds by 2030, form a new industry working group to advance circular packaging policy and produce a report detailing opportunities for the company to take additional circularity action by later this year. In response, As You Sow agreed to withdraw its shareholder proposal with the company. 

The withdrawal agreement reached by Hormel and As You Sow demonstrates growing action by companies towards extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging waste, a policy whereby companies play a pivotal financial role in ensuring their packaging stays in the economy and out of the environment.

“We applaud Hormel’s new commitments towards achieving a circular economy for packaging and eagerly await its first circular economy for packaging report this fall,” says Kelly McBee, Circular Economy manager at As You Sow.

Since 2021, four states, including Maine, Oregon, Colorado, and California, have adopted EPR legislation for packaging, shifting the financial burden to build and maintain recycling infrastructure away from municipalities and consumers via taxes and onto producer companies. Corporate support for EPR can include legislative involvement, voluntary financial contributions to recycling infrastructure, minimization of material use, design for recyclability and goals for their packaging to be collected and recycled in practice and at scale.

“We appreciated the opportunity to have conversations with As You Sow on our progress and commitments surrounding recyclability and the circular economy,” says Kevin Myers, senior vice president of research and development and quality control. “At Hormel Foods, we have reported our substantial packaging reduction efforts for more than 17 years as part of our Global Impact report and are constantly looking for opportunities to use less material, encourage recycling and eliminate waste through our continuous improvement processes all while maintaining safe and wholesome packaging to assure food safety in our products. We continue to work toward our 20 by 30 sustainability goals with a large focus on product and packaging sustainability, and we look forward to reporting against our progress as part of our important global impact work.”

Similar proposals were also filed with Tyson and Constellation Brands, reflecting a push among shareholders, regulators, and the public eager to see action on plastic waste. Global leaders are also in the midst of negotiating the world’s first Global Plastics Treaty, which is expected to produce a legally binding agreement to cap plastic production, tax corporations for the use of virgin plastic, and institute EPR for packaging.