According to the latest report of the Allen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the use of primary plastics in major brand packaging from global commitments is expected to decline by nearly 20%.
● the progress report on the global commitment to the new plastics economy in 2021 shows that after decades of growth, the use of primary plastics by brands and retailers signing the global commitment has shown a peak in 2021 and is expected to decline by nearly 20% by 2025.
● the current progress is largely driven by recycling, but it is not enough to solve the problem of plastic pollution – there is an urgent need to strengthen efforts to eliminate the use of disposable plastic packaging.
● the call for a global agreement on plastic pollution is gaining unprecedented momentum.
New data show that brands and retailers of the global commitment to the new plastics economy (hereinafter referred to as the “global commitment”) have reduced the use of primary plastics in packaging for two consecutive years.
The Allen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment programme jointly said that three years after the launch of the global commitment to the new plastics economy, the use of primary plastics by the commitment signatories has shown signs of reaching a peak and is now on a downward trend.
The global commitment has added a mandatory primary plastic reduction target in 2021. At present, all 65 signatories of brands and retailers have set corresponding targets. The new commitment will further consolidate and accelerate the downward trend in the use of primary plastics. If the new commitment is realized, the absolute use of primary plastics will decrease by nearly 20% by 2025 compared with 2018.
It is estimated that if the new goals and existing commitments can be achieved, the production of primary plastics will be reduced by 8 million tons per year by 2025, which is equivalent to 40 million barrels of oil being exempted from exploitation.
Reducing the use of primary plastics is a gratifying trend, but brands and retailers mainly focus on gradually replacing primary plastics with recycled plastics in their current plans and future plans. However, this is only part of the solution and cannot solve the problem of the total amount of plastic packaging put on the market. At present, efforts to eliminate disposable packaging are still insufficient. The reusable rate of plastic packaging of signatories is less than 2%, and the reusable rate of plastic packaging of more than half of signatories is zero.
The new industry commitment and action plan will bring tangible progress to the plastic cycle
All packaging consumer goods, retail and packaging manufacturers that have signed the global commitment have committed to make all their plastic packaging 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
All packaging consumer goods and retail enterprises that have signed the global commitment have also promised that the average proportion of recycled materials in their plastic packaging will reach 25% by 2025, about 10 times the current global average valuation level. Some enterprises have set higher targets for the proportion of recycled materials. Among them, Werner & Mertz, positiv. A and IWC Schaffhausen set the target at 100%; 75% for bio-d; 40% for oiageo and L’OCCITANE en Provence; L’Oreal, M & S, Accor and Hyatt group also targeted 30%.
As the first resin manufacturer to sign the global letter of commitment, Nordic chemical and indorama promise to change the current business model based on energy mining and raw materials into a business model based on material recycling by setting specific targets for the use of recycled materials.
Packaging consumer goods, retail and packaging manufacturers will generate a total demand of 5.4 million tons of recycled plastics in order to achieve their 2025 goal – which is the largest commitment to use recycled plastics as plastic packaging so far. Since the launch of the global commitment in 2018, the use of post consumer recycled plastics by the commitment party has increased by 60%. In order to accelerate the decoupling process between plastic use and fossil raw materials, the global commitment has added the goal of reducing the amount of primary plastics for brands and retailers in 2021. If the new commitment is realized, the absolute use of primary plastics will be reduced by nearly 20% by 2025 compared with 2018.
Baroness Alan MacArthur, founder and President of the Council of the Alan MacArthur Foundation, said: “Recycling alone cannot solve the problem of plastic pollution, and the elimination of disposable packaging is an important part of the solution. However, our report shows that signatories have little investment in this area, which is shocking. We need to pay more urgent attention to upstream innovation and rethink how to use unpackaged or reusable packaging to deliver products. This can not only To avoid waste from the beginning of design also means that we can avoid carbon emissions from the beginning of design and create new business opportunities. It is estimated that changing only 20% of plastic packaging from disposable to reusable means about $10 billion in business opportunities. “
Voluntary initiatives such as global commitments have begun to bring about changes, but a large number of enterprises and countries have recognized that voluntary initiatives alone are not enough to solve plastic pollution. The signatories of global commitments cover only 20% of the world’s plastic packaging. We need a coordinated global response mechanism so that the whole industry and all government departments can take large-scale measures faster get some action.
The call for a global agreement on plastic pollution is growing. More than 80 leading enterprises and 119 governments have called for a global agreement on dealing with plastic pollution, and more than 2 million people have signed public petitions to show their support. In February 2022, the second agenda of the fifth United Nations Environment Conference (unea 5.2) It will be a critical moment when governments will consult on the next action plan, including whether to start intergovernmental negotiations on a global agreement.
Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, said: “The global commitment shows us that the participants in the whole value chain, including the government, have taken concerted voluntary actions and have begun to reverse the global process of combating plastic pollution. All signatories report their progress in a transparent manner and agreed indicators, which is commendable and learning. The leaders of these actions have also proved that we can put the value of plastics into practice Multi benefits are decoupled from the use of primary plastics, and these groundbreaking actions can be promoted and promoted through a comprehensive and inclusive global approach. “
Post time: Nov-29-2021