Businesses that are failing to act on plastic waste have been urged to step up and help build a circular economy.
In the latest update to its Global Commitment 2030, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) called out the 80% of global businesses that have yet to publicly step forward to tackle plastic waste and detailed how they are lagging behind the 20% that have committed to its plan.
Signatories have outperformed non-signatories in almost all target areas including on virgin plastic where brand and retail signatories have, on average, decreased their use by 6% since 2018 compared with a 13% increase in total global market use. Signatories are much further advanced too in removing problematic plastic items and using post-consumer recycled content.
The report also highlighted a number of systemic barriers to change that signatories are struggling to overcome by themselves, such as scaling reuse models, tackling flexible packaging waste, and building effective collection and recycling infrastructure.
Alongside its latest progress report, EMF has launched a 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business, which it describes as a practical roadmap to tackle plastic waste and build a circular economy.
The focus of the plan is on collaboration to drive market transformation within which EMF sets out three key levers for change: collective advocacy by businesses to help shape ambitious, effective policy; collaborative action to share risks, costs, and innovation to tackle barriers; and aligned individual action to keep pushing boundaries within businesses today to inspire policy and market change.
“Many business leaders ask me what comes next. My answer is simple: don’t wait. The companies that act now can help shape effective policies and make circular solutions the new normal,” said Rob Opsomer, executive lead for plastics and finance at the EMF.
“By working together, they’ll cut transition costs and build resilience in a fast-changing world. They can make what once seemed impossible not only possible but ultimately inevitable,” Opsomer added.
Businesses representing 20% of the global plastic packaging market, including Danone, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever, have reaffirmed their support to the Global Commitment 2030, with EMF calling on the rest of the market to follow suit over the next 12 months.
“We’re now at the start of a 12-month sign-up period for the Global Commitment 2030, and are calling on all businesses to join in,” a spokesperson told Footprint.
