The US Plastic Pact unites diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to work on the design, use, and reuse plastics

WWF

Over 60 brands, retailers, government agencies and NGOs have already joined sustainable initiative to make plastic packaging reusable, recyclable and compostable by 2025. (Credit: Ben Kerckx from Pixabay)

The US Plastic Pact, a sustainable initiative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), has been launched to advance progress towards a circular economy for plastic.

Part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact network, the US Plastic Pact brings together diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to work on the design, use, and reuse plastics.

The sustainable initiative enables companies, government entities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), researchers, and other stakeholders to work together in a pre-competitive platform for industry-led innovation.

The Recycling Partnership circular ventures VP Sarah Dearman said: “Together, through the US Plastics Pact, we will ignite systems change to accelerate progress toward a circular economy.”

US Plastic Pact to provide scalable solutions to address challenges within the US

Plastic packaging producers, brands, retailers, recyclers, waste management companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders will work for the development of scalable solutions to meet the requirements and address challenges within the US.

As part of the initiative, activators agree to achieve four targets such as determining a list of packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and implementing measures to phase out them by 2025.

The targets also include taking appropriate actions to efficiently recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging and incorporating up to 30% average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging by 2025.

Over 60 brands, retailers, government agencies and NGOs have already joined the sustainable initiative to achieve the target of making all plastic packaging reusable, recyclable and compostable by 2025.

Amcor, Balcones Resources, Mars, Target, Coca-Cola, Unilever United States, Henkel, Kimberly-Clark, L’Oreal USA, Digimarc and Eastman are some of the companies that already joined the sustainable initiative.

World Wildlife Fund plastic waste and business head Erin Simon said: “Plastic pollution is a global crisis that needs local solutions, and the United States is one of biggest opportunities where regional interventions can result in transformative change around the world.”

In July this year, The Recycling Partnership launched Polypropylene Recycling Coalition, a new industry collaboration to enhance the circular economy.