Three years after the launch of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme have issued their 2021 Progress Report. Participants in the Global Commitment initiative include companies that, in sum, produce around 20 per cent of all plastic packaging globally. Signatories include such well-known consumer brands as Apple, Nestlé, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and Mondalez as well as packaging industry giants like Amcor and Berry Global, among the initiative’s more than 500 member organisations.
According to the data collected, the affiliated companies have made significant progress in reducing their use of new plastic, cutting their consumption for the second year in a row. The rate of new plastic consumption had been growing for decades, but now the peak seems to have passed and the target – a reduction in consumption by almost 20 per cent over the period from 2018 to 2025 – appears to be achievable. This trend reversal has been largely achieved through recycling. The report also notes that more and more companies and countries have expressed support for a global agreement to reduce plastic pollution. The report notes that these voluntary actions certainly have had an impact, but they are not enough.
In addition to surveying the results achieved, the Global Commitment 2021 Progress Report includes detailed breakdowns on trends and sector data for specific areas like clothing, beverages, cosmetics, food, household and personal care and retail.
Insights from the beverage sector.
Half of the signatories from this sector have been able to reduce their consumption of new plastic by an average of 4 per cent. According to the report, increased demand for plastic containers due to the Covid-19 pandemic made it difficult to achieve a better result. Although seven of the eight companies in this area were able to increase the use of recycled plastic by 2.5 per cent, the proportion of recycled plastic in the beverage sector, at 9.4 per cent, remains one of the lowest compared to other sectors.
Most of the steps taken by the beverage industry thus far have been aimed at improving the recyclability of their containers. In addition, some plastic has been replaced by paper, and some labels have been eliminated where feasible. However, success at completely replacing single-use packaging with alternative solutions has so far been limited.
Diageo, The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo are pushing for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which commits producers and distributors to optimising management of the waste stage of the products they produce or sell. They see this as the only way to make recycling more effective. In more than 35 countries where rPET is not available in sufficient quantities, The Coca-Cola Company is also committed to supporting local deposit systems for recycling their plastic bottles.
Based on the results of the past three years, the signatories to the Global Commitment in this sector have committed to reducing the consumption of new plastic by 16 per cent by 2025.
What is the Global Commitment?
The Global Commitment is led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme and already has more than 500 signatories. These include private companies, governments and non-governmental organisations.. The packaging manufacturers and consumer brands that have committed to the ambitious goals of the Global Commitment account for more than 20 per cent of all plastic packaging produced worldwide. Consumer goods manufacturers such as L’Oréal, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever, the world’s largest retailer, Walmart, and large packaging manufacturers such as Amcor and Berry Global, plus two of the largest specialists in resource management – Veolia and Suez – are also among the signatories.
Insights from the food sector.
Similar to the beverage sector, Covid-19 also had a significant impact on the efforts of signatories from the food industry. After all, 80 per cent of the companies reduced the amount of plastic packaging by an average of 5 per cent. At just 2.6 per cent, this area has the lowest per centage of recycled raw material among the six sectors the report covers. Four companies nevertheless managed to raise this rate by 4 per cent. However, various initiatives by the Global Commitment signatories indicate that the trend towards reducing or substituting plastic will continue in the coming years.
In France, for example, Mars has tested refilling stations in stores for two of its rice brands. Pilot projects are also planned in Australia and Europe for pet products, among other items. Mondelez reduced various non-recyclable materials including PS, PVC and PVDC in nearly 5000 tons of packaging. The company has also joined forces with Mars UK, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever to donate a GBP 1 million to a UK fund to increase the recycling of flexible plastics. Another initiative was launched by Nestlé. The company intends to use 2 million tonnes of recycled PP and PE for food packaging and has set aside CHF 1.5 billion to pay a premium for such materials by 2025.
Insights from household and personal care.
The global pandemic has also left its mark on these areas. Although almost two-thirds of the companies active in this sector increased their consumption of new plastic by 5 per cent, demand has still increased significantly, particularly for hygiene products. In order to be able to reduce the use of new plastic by 2025, the signatories to the Global Commitment in this area have committed to an average reduction of 38 per cent.
As in the food sector, numerous programmes have been launched to promote recycling. The rating scale introduced by SC Johnson is one such example. All packaging is assigned a red, yellow or green status to improve recyclability. Packaging that is not readily recycled due to its pigments, materials or size gets a red rating and should be replaced.
Another example comes from Unilever. The company has increased its post-consumer recycled content from 5 to 11 per cent and expects to do the same in 2022. The group also plans to increase the number of recycled plastic suppliers in South and Southeast Asia and to invest in machines with artificial intelligence to help collect and sort packaging in China for subsequent reuse.
