Tyson Foods uses plastic packaging, including flexible plastic and polystyrene foam, which are not curbside recyclable.

Only 9% of all plastic made in the last 60 years has been recycled. An estimated 11 million tons of plastic waste is released into the ocean annually, killing over 1 million marine animals. Flexible plastic, used widely by Tyson, represents 59% of all plastic production but accounts for 80% of plastic leakage to oceans. Microplastics can now be found in our food and water, with one study finding humans may consume a credit card’s worth of plastic every week.

A Pew Charitable Trust study found that existing industry and government commitments will only reduce marine plastic pollution 7% by 2040. Without stronger corporate commitments to plastic reduction, the amount of plastic entering the ocean could triple by 2040.

Consumer concern for plastic waste is growing and could pose reputational risk to the Company. One recent survey found that 84% of U.S. shoppers are concerned about plastic and packaging waste. In another, two-thirds of Millennial and Gen Z respondents reported taking steps to reduce their single-use plastic usage, and both generations named climate change and the environment as their top societal concerns.

Tyson’s lagging plastic policies also may leave it vulnerable to a changing regulatory landscape. This past summer, Maine and Oregon adopted the nation’s first producer responsibility laws for consumer packaging, which will make producers financially responsible for post-consumer packaging waste management, and nine other states considered similar legislation. Future bills could require producers of non-recyclable packaging to pay more than those of recyclable packaging, heightening the potential risk posed to Tyson.

Customers Kroger and Target as well as Tyson’s largest customer, Walmart, have quantitative goals for addressing their plastic packaging footprints and either currently report or have committed to reporting on their plastic use. Tyson could risk losing market access if it hinders progress toward its customers’ plastics goals.

Despite the business risks and broad societal impact, Tyson does not disclose the amount of plastic packaging it uses and currently has no quantitative goal or timeline for reducing its plastic packaging footprint. As a result, Tyson received an F grade for its laggard status in a recent As You Sow report comparing plastic policies across packaged food companies.