Alongside 250 organisations – including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs – we have signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
This is a pledge to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at source, based on the vision of a circular economy, where plastics never become waste.
Mirroring our own 2017 commitment, signatories have pledged to: eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reusable packaging; ensure all plastic packaging can be easily and safely recycled or composted; and increase the amount of plastics reused or recycled into new packaging or products. All by 2025.
“The Global Commitment is an important step on our journey to eliminate plastic waste,” says Unilever CEO Paul Polman. “It’s critical that all the key actors in the system work together to accelerate our transition towards the circular economy and, as part of that, address the challenge of single-use plastics. Unilever is ready to play its part and calls on leading businesses and governments to join the movement.”
The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with UN Environment. It aims to create ‘a new normal’ for plastic packaging, with targets that are reviewed every 18 months, and become increasingly ambitious.