A year ago, MIWA became one of the first signatories of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, initiated by Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UN Environment Programme. The annual report has recently been published by the Foundation, so we can look at the most important of what has been achieved in just one year.

Over 400 organizations representing 20% of the global plastic packaging production have joined their signatures so far, including giant corporations like CocaCola, L'Oréal or Unilever. With this step, the organizations have officially bound themselves to fight plastic pollution using circular economy principles. Here is what annual report says about the status after the first year of the Commitment:

• Companies set out actions to eliminate problematic plastic packaging, and increase the use of recycled plastic in packaging by more than five-fold by 2025

• Unilever, Mars, Incorporated, and PepsiCo announce significant reductions in virgin plastic use by 2025.

• More than 40 signatory companies are piloting reuse schemes

• Around 70% of relevant business signatories are eliminating single-use straws, carrier bags and carbon black plastics. Around 80% are eliminating PVC from their packaging

• Government signatories are supporting reuse schemes with public awareness campaigns, extended producer responsibility or public-private collaborations

• Government signatories including France, Rwanda, the UK, and the cities of São Paulo (Brazil) and Austin (USA), are putting in place policy measures that include bans, public procurement, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, fiscal measures, and incentives for research and development

• Around 60% of business signatories’ plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable today. Through the Global Commitment, they have committed to making this 100% by 2025

• Packaged goods and retail signatories have pledged to increase recycled plastic in their packaging more than five-fold, from 4% to 22%, by 2025. The signatories’ total demand for recycled content in packaging by 2025 will be more than 5 million tonnes annually, equivalent to keeping 25 million barrels of oil in the ground every year

For further information, find the full report and its summary here.

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation regularly uses MIWA as “best practice” showing how the circular economy principles can be rooted directly in companies’ product design and its business model. This beautiful interview with the Foundations' leading researcher Anette Lendal is a clear evidence of it:

Constantly, more businesses and governments are called to sign the commitment, so we believe in another significant progress in the upcoming years.

Author: Lucie Jandová

(Title photo by Karina Tess on Unsplash)