‘A line in the sand’ – Global Commitment to eliminate plastic pollution at its source

A Global Commitment to eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source has been signed by 290+ organisations, representing 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally. The Commitment was officially unveiled by Ellen MacArthur at the Our Ocean Conference in Bali today.

The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in collaboration with UN Environment, includes signatories from many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and NGOs.

Signatories include: well-known consumer businesses such as Danone, H&M Group, L’Oreal, Mars, Incorporated, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, and Unilever; major packaging producers such as Amcor; plastics producers including Novamont; and resource management specialist Veolia.

“We know that cleaning up plastics from our beaches and oceans is vital, but this does not stop the tide of plastic entering the oceans each year. We need to move upstream to the source of the flow. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment draws a line in the sand, with businesses, governments and others around the world uniting behind a clear vision for what we need to create a circular economy for plastic.“
Dame Ellen MacArthur

The Global Commitment aims to create ‘a new normal’ for plastic packaging. Targets will be reviewed every 18 months, and become increasingly ambitious over the coming years. Businesses that sign the commitment will publish annual data on their progress to help drive momentum and ensure transparency.