Europe’s Supermarkets Packed With ‘Misleading’ Claims About Recycled Plastic

"Manufacturers use method that labels plastic as ‘circular’ and climate-friendly, despite being mostly fossil-based"

"Europe’s supermarket shelves are packed with brands billing their plastic packaging as sustainable, but often only a fraction of the materials are truly recovered from waste, with the rest made from petroleum.

Brands using plastic packaging – from Kraft’s Heinz Beanz to Mondelēz’s Philadelphia – use materials made by the plastic manufacturing arm of the oil company Saudi Aramco.

The Saudi state-owned holding opposes production cuts under the UN plastic treaty and is the world’s largest corporate greenhouse gas emitter (more than 70m tonnes up to 2023)."

Stefano Valentino reports for the Guardian January 27, 2026.