Huhtamaki donation helps clean plastics from the Mithi River in Mumbai, India

HUHTAMÄKI OYJ PRESS RELEASE 12.10.2020 AT 10:00Huhtamaki donation helps clean plastics from the Mithi River in Mumbai, IndiaGlobal sustainable food packaging leader Huhtamaki is donating €600,000 to fund a project that aims to stop the flow of plastic into the Indian Ocean from the Mithi River in Mumbai, India. The project is one of three initiatives that Huhtamaki has funded as part of its 100-year anniversary to address global sustainability challenges and build and learn from circular economy initiatives globally.The Mithi River project is run by a global partnership between the United Nations Technology Innovation Labs UNTIL, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, RiverRecycle and Earth5R. Each partner has a unique role in the project which seeks to use emerging technologies to collect plastic waste from the river and raises awareness on effective waste management in order to drive systemic change locally. The project is also focused on developing ways to valorize waste, e.g. by turning it into valuable fuels, chemicals, bio energy and bio fertilizers.More specifically, Earth5R, an India-based citizen-led environmental movement, is organizing local hands-on workshops with key stakeholders on effective waste management and recycling with a view to drive systemic change.RiverRecycle, a Finnish cleantech start-up, provides the technology to collect the plastic and floating debris from the river for recycling, thus stopping it from entering the Indian Ocean.VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will collect and analyze data on the floating waste and its seasonal variations in order to optimize the river’s clean-up operations and recycling process development for the future. It will share this information to support future circular economy studies and initiatives.The United Nations Technology Innovation Labs UNTIL manages the project and provides expertise both in India as well as on valorizing the collected waste via sorting and recycling.  “The partnership organizations are delighted to be working with the Huhtamaki team and look forward to delivering this groundbreaking initiative over the coming 18 months,” says Professor Joseph Adelegan, Circular Economy Lead for the United Nations Technology Innovation Labs. “The collected data will also support future circular economy studies and can serve as a starting point for possible future clean-up actions with optimal resource use,” he continues.Charles Héaulmé, President and CEO of Huhtamaki, says, “Huhtamaki is committed to protecting people, food and the planet. We are happy to support local initiatives together with partners across the value chain, learning from those experiences, and developing the systemic changes towards circularity and a sustainable future globally.”For further information, please contact:
Reeta Eskola, Senior Communications Manager, Huhtamäki Oyj, tel. +358 40 779 9574Professor Joseph Adelegan, Circular Economy Lead, United Nations Technology Innovation Labs, joseph.adelegan@un.org, +358 40 370 4549HUHTAMÄKI OYJ
Global CommunicationsThe United Nations Technology Innovation Labs are designed to move humanity forward, faster by focusing on the use of innovative technology to solve some of humanity’s most pressing needs. until.un.orgVTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is a visionary research, development and innovation partner driving sustainable growth and tackling the biggest global challenges of our time, turning them into growth opportunities. www.vttresearch.comRiverRecycle is a Finnish cleantech start-up that offers a sustainable river cleaning service without need for constant funding. RiverRecycle turns plastic waste into marketable products through collection and pyrolysis. www.riverrecycle.comEarth5R is an India-based citizen-led environmental movement that brings communities together and develops a symbiotic ecosystem that is driven by different stakeholders. Residential buildings and local businesses move towards zero waste while creating a positive environmental, social and economic impact in the locality. www.earth5r.orgHuhtamaki is a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions for consumers around the world, enabling wellbeing and convenience. Our innovative products protect on-the-go and on-the-shelf food and beverages, ensuring hygiene and safety, and help prevent food waste. We embed sustainability in everything we do. We are committed to achieving carbon neutral production and designing all our products to be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2030.We are a participant in the UN Global Compact and as of 2020, we received an MSCI ESG Rating of A, on a scale of AAA ─ CCC. To play our part in managing climate change, we have committed to set science-based targets through the Science Based Targets initiative. Huhtamaki has been awarded the Silver medal by EcoVadis for performance in sustainability.With 100 years of history and a strong Nordic heritage we operate in 35 countries and 81 sites around the world. Our values Care Dare Deliver guide our decisions and help our team of 18,800 employees make a difference where it matters. Our 2019 net sales totaled EUR 3.4 billion. Huhtamaki Group is headquartered in Espoo, Finland and our parent company, Huhtamäki Oyj, is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd. Find out more about how we are protecting food, people and the planet on www.huhtamaki.com.