General Mills is committed to designing its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2030. As of 2023, 93% of General Mills’ packaging was designed for recyclability or reusability (by weight).
Liberté, a General Mills yogurt brand, is easily recognizable due to its white and black design; however, the black pigment in its yogurt lids resulted in limited sortation by optical sorting in material recovery facilities (MRF), which prevented recycling.
In 2022, General Mills worked with its suppliers and research and development team to find a solution to eliminate the black pigmentation in its lids. The company moved to translucent lids, which allowed for sortation with the yogurt tub.
From a technical perspective, one of the issues General Mills tested was whether the translucent lids would result in greater light exposure to the yogurt, which could impact food safety and quality. The black pigment in the original lids acted as a light barrier, in addition to benefiting branding. The team ultimately confirmed that any light exposure would be blocked by the food safety seal applied to the yogurt tubs.
Consumers care about packaging recyclability. This change has resulted in an improved consumer perception of Liberté as a sustainable brand. The membership with Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) was another motivator for General Mills to make this change, as it aligns with the Golden Design Rules, and helps achieve their overall sustainability goals.