Plastic Stewardship in Action: Turning Commitments into Real Impact

In this exclusive interview with Sustainability in Packaging Asia, Mondelez International Philippines Corporate Affairs Lead Caitlin Punzalan and PCX Commercial Director Rudi Ramin share a preview of our joint talk, “Plastic Stewardship in Action: Turning Commitments into Real Impact.” Learn how Mondelēz is designing for a circular economy while driving impact where it matters most.

‍

Q1: Your upcoming presentation at Sustainability in Packaging Asia will explore Plastic Stewardship in Action: Turning Commitments into Real Impact. Why is this message particularly critical for industry professionals to hear right now?

Caitlin: At Mondelēz International, our sustainability mission is two-fold. First is to make an impact where we matter most. This means ensuring we practice sustainability in the most critical areas of our operations, like ingredient sourcing and human rights across our manufacturing sites and supplier base. The second is on supporting change where the world needs it, and we can all agree that plastic pollution is an issue that concerns the entire planet. That’s why we aim to take a stand on issues that matter to our company, so that we can enlist more forces to take action for the planet.

Rudi: This message—'Plastic Stewardship in Action: Turning Commitments into Real Impact'—is timely because we’re at a turning point. Regulations on plastic packaging are tightening worldwide, especially in Europe, where EPR laws, recycled content mandates, and plastic taxes are accelerating. Globally, the push for a UN treaty on plastics signals that change is coming at scale.

On the industry side, sustainability is no longer optional. Major consumer goods companies are embedding it into their core strategies, making bold voluntary commitments. But ambition must translate into action. That’s where real progress happens—when we connect policy with practical execution.

This conversation is essential for aligning regulatory expectations with corporate action, and for building a truly circular and accountable packaging ecosystem.

Q2: What do you see as the most significant hurdles companies encounter when shifting to sustainable packaging, and how can they overcome them?

Caitlin: The most significant issues are cost and availability. These are two intertwined issues. Sustainable packaging can be viewed as using recycled content or mono-materials. These are packaging types that can be expensive, especially as the technology to produce them is not yet available in all countries or regions. For our company, overcoming these issues begins with a test and learn approach, where we find optimal locations where we can implement these changes and work towards spreading these throughout our other sites or countries.

Rudi: One of the most underestimated challenges companies face in transitioning to sustainable packaging is the lack of a structured framework—what we call a Plastic Responsibility Plan. Without a plan, efforts can become fragmented or reactive, rather than strategic and impactful.

The starting point must be data. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Calculating a company’s plastic footprint provides the foundation for setting realistic targets and prioritizing actions across the reduce, reuse, and recover spectrum. But the plan must also consider material innovation, supply chain readiness, compliance with emerging regulations, and the evolving expectations of consumers and investors.

What’s encouraging is that no company has to start from scratch. There’s a growing ecosystem of proven approaches and collaborative platforms. At PCX, we work closely with companies to build custom, actionable roadmaps that balance ambition with feasibility. Ultimately, a Plastic Responsibility Plan isn’t just a sustainability tool—it’s a strategic asset that drives resilience, brand value, and long-term competitiveness.

Q3: How can packaging be intentionally designed from the outset to align with circular economy principles?

Caitlin: For our company, we focus on two upstream directions: Reducing packaging and Evolving packaging. We are reducing packaging by aiming to utilize packaging that is lightweight, safe, and, where appropriate, can be reused or recycled. We continue to progress towards achieving our global 2025 goal of a 5% reduction in our use of virgin plastic packaging versus 2020 levels. Evolving packaging involves aiming to design our packaging to be recyclable, removing certain materials, and including recycled plastic, where appropriate, to help reduce packaging waste. Our goal is to use packaging that is designed to be recyclable and to continue to use recycled content. At the end of 2024, 96% of our packaging has been designed to be recyclable.

Rudi: Designing packaging for a circular economy requires a mindset shift—from creating for disposal to creating for recovery and reuse. It starts with material choices: favoring mono-materials, reducing unnecessary components, and ensuring compatibility with local recycling systems. What’s technically recyclable isn’t always practically recyclable.

Circular design also involves reducing material use at the source, exploring refillable or reusable formats, and even leveraging digital innovations to minimize packaging needs.

More than a technical exercise, designing for circularity is a strategic move—one that reduces environmental impact, builds resilience, and meets growing expectations from regulators and consumers alike."

Q4: Are there any breakthrough technologies or innovations on the horizon that could transform sustainable packaging as we know it?

Caitlin: We’re proud to share that for our brand Cadbury, certain countries are already using between 50%-80% recycled plastic content. These are in Australia, UK, and Ireland, respectively. This is through mass balance and ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS certification. We are partnered with Amcor and Jindal Films.

Rudi: Innovation in sustainable packaging is evolving quickly—from molecular recycling to compostable materials and smart, reusable designs. But the most impactful innovations are those that are actionable now and create measurable change.

That’s why post-consumer recycled plastic is so important. At PCX, we’ve developed Circular Plastics—a certified PCR resin that not only reduces dependence on virgin plastic, but also embeds plastic credits. This means every kilogram purchased supports verified impact through the collection and recycling of plastic waste, creating a closed-loop solution that’s transparent and traceable.

Circular Plastics is more than just a material—it’s a commitment to circularity with built-in accountability. It enables brands to make sustainable choices that align with both regulatory demands and consumer expectations, while driving real-world environmental benefits.

Q5: Some argue that sustainable packaging comes at a higher cost than conventional alternatives. How would you respond to this concern, especially from a business viability perspective?

Rudi: While sustainable packaging may involve higher upfront costs, the long-term return far outweighs the initial investment. It reduces exposure to regulatory and compliance risks, strengthens brand trust, and positions businesses to meet growing consumer and investor expectations.

More importantly, sustainability is no longer a differentiator—it’s becoming a license to operate. When you assess packaging through a total-cost-of-ownership lens, it’s clear that what may seem like a premium today is, in fact, an investment in resilience, relevance, and future market access.

Q6: Looking ahead, what key trends or advancements do you anticipate shaping the future of sustainable packaging in the next 5-10 years?

Caitlin: We are excited to see plastic have a circular economy. Working to help advance a more circular economy demands infrastructure development, investment, an enabling policy and regulatory environment, and cooperation between multiple stakeholders. Many challenges may impede the advancement of a circular economy for packaging, including a landscape of disconnected national and sub-national policies, the need to transform complex global supply chains, and the sourcing of high-cost and limited availability materials. We collaborate with many companies and other stakeholders on topics ranging from the innovation of more sustainable alternative materials to helping develop enhanced policies, including Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). In fact, through our work on EPR in the Philippines, we have been able to receive the Plastic Cleanup Partner Badge from PCX Markets. This signifies our commitment to helping provide solutions for the plastic packaging problem, and is a symbol that we hope empowers others to join in the mission.

Rudi: Over the next 5 to 10 years, I see sustainable packaging evolving along three powerful trajectories: regulation, innovation, and integration.

First, regulation will become more comprehensive and coordinated. We’re moving toward a world where Extended Producer Responsibility, recycled content mandates, and plastic credit systems are not just policies in a few markets, but global norms. Companies that anticipate these shifts and embed compliance into their strategy early will be at a clear advantage.

Second, innovation will expand beyond materials. Yes, we’ll continue to see growth in recyclable, compostable, and bio-based solutions, but we’ll also see smarter systems—like digital traceability, refill models, and localized recycling ecosystems—gain traction. Crucially, innovations like PCX’s Circular Plastics, which link recycled content with verified impact, will become the gold standard for combining performance with accountability.

And finally, sustainability will be fully integrated—not as a department or CSR initiative, but as a driver of commercial strategy, risk management, and brand value. Companies will succeed not by doing less harm, but by designing systems that create environmental and social good.

The future of packaging is circular, data-driven, and deeply collaborative. Those who lead with intention and transparency today will define the standard tomorrow.