A Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source has been signed by 250 organisations including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs. Signatories include companies representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally.The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment, and was officially unveiled at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali, Indonesia on Monday, Oct 29.
"Change is possible. We truly believe that working side-by-side, businesses and governments can tackle plastic pollution at the source," explains Borealis CEO Alfred Stern. "As a plastics producer we have taken a leading role in helping to solve the issue of plastic littering. Supporting 'A Line in the Sand' Global Commitment and further scaling up our will help to close the tap on ocean plastics."
The Global Commitment aims to create 'a new normal' for plastic packaging. Targets will be reviewed every 18 months, and become increasingly ambitious over the coming years. Businesses that sign the commitment will publish annual data on their progress to help drive momentum and ensure transparency.
Targets include:
- Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reuse packaging models
- Innovate to ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled, or composted by 2025
- Circulate the plastic produced, by significantly increasing the amounts of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products
Eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastics is an essential part of the Global Commitment vision, and will make it easier to keep remaining plastics in the economy and out of the environment.
Source: Borealis
