Our Ambition:
ELIMINATE
PLASTIC
POLLUTION
Championing a global agreement for a sustainable, circular economy.
Webinar: Chemical Recycling Technologies and Their Role in a Circular Economy for Plastics
Unmanaged plastic waste ends up as pollution.
As many communities throughout the world lack even basic systems to collect waste, used materials are often discarded onto land and into rivers and oceans. This unmanaged waste can cause serious environmental and economic damage. While most refuse sinks, many plastics are buoyant and can circle the globe on ocean currents. In a planet with limited resources we must keep these plastics in our economy and out of our environment.
We envision a world without plastic pollution.
A world in which plastics are sustainably produced, designed, used, reused and recycled in a circular economy and don’t become pollution. And a world where plastics contribute significantly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including a lower carbon future.
We support governments’ ambition* to eliminate additional plastic pollution by 2040.
To get there, we need to accelerate a circular economy in which 100% of plastic products and packaging* are sustainably reused or recycled instead of discarded, enabled by a global agreement that unlocks industry innovation and global investment in plastics circularity.
*G7 Climate, Energy and Environment Ministers Communique, 2023.
Our Progress Toward Circularity
We’re already taking significant steps – and tracking these efforts – to accelerate a circular economy for plastics including:
- Investing substantially around the globe
in multiple recycling systems and technologies to significantly increase the types and amount of plastics that can be recycled,
- Creating new business approaches to enable circularity and designing new products made with recycled plastics, and
- Redesigning packaging for longer use, reuse and recyclability.
In short, we’re partnering and investing across the plastics value chains to secure greater access to used plastics, to enable circular feedstocks in the production of plastics and to increase recycled content in plastic products.
Our Approach to a Global Agreement
We agree with the importance of sustainable consumption and production and creating well-designed plastic products that enable waste minimization. We also agree that creating universal access to collection and environmentally sound waste management is a key step toward circularity. Eliminating plastic pollution is not achievable until we close this gap and create a circular economy in which used plastics are no longer perceived as waste.
We’re championing a global agreement to achieve the goal of eliminating plastic pollution while retaining the societal benefits of plastics. Our approach reflects our vision and ambition, as well as our unique knowledge and technical capabilities as innovators and solutions providers. It also reflects the need to respect each country’s unique situation and work collaboratively to accelerate progress toward eliminating plastic pollution.
Key Elements of a Global Agreement…
To help end additional plastic pollution and accelerate a circular economy for plastics, the agreement should incentivize actions by all stakeholders, include specific global measures supporting effective implementation, foster multistakeholder participation in financing, and enable flexibility for national action plans while holding countries accountable. We believe measures to address the problem of plastic pollution are most efficient when based on a plastics application approach.
… and a Call to Action
To achieve success, multiple stakeholders will need to take collective action and act in partnership on these elements. We call on all stakeholders to join forces and align on a common vision.
1.
GLOBAL MEASURES & ACTIONS
A requirement for globally harmonized measures that promote effective implementation of the agreement, while recognizing national and local circumstances.
A requirement for governmental action plans and enabling policies with national targets for reducing plastic waste, increasing the use of recycled content, and prioritizing high leakage applications, with specific rates and dates.
2.
PROGRESS REPORTS
National assessments and progress reports on plastic waste reduction, based on universal methodology.
3.
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
Mechanisms to accelerate use of recycled plastics through public-private partnerships and blended finance.
4.
GUIDANCE
Guidance to accelerate a circular economy, such as best practices on waste minimization, product design by application, informal recycling economy and public policies.
5.
CAPACITY BUILDING
Capacity building to support environmentally sound materials and waste management.
6.
PELLET CONTAINMENT
Mandated participation in a certified program to help prevent plastic materials in the value chain from entering the environment.
Enabling Actions (by stakeholder)
To help eliminate plastic waste and accelerate a circular economy for plastics under a global agreement, multiple stakeholders will need to take collective action and act in partnership. Success relies on stakeholders from the following sectors taking action.
Governments
Plastic Makers and Converters
Financial Institutions
Brands/Retailers/Users of Plastics
Recyclers/Waste Management
Scientific/Academic Institutions
An enabling global agreement on plastic pollution can unleash innovation and help achieve a circular economy for plastics around the globe.