The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment unites businesses, governments and other organisations behind a common vision and targets to address plastic waste and pollution at its source, led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with UN Environment.
Launched in 2018, the Global Commitment already has more than 450 signatories committed to keeping plastics in the economy and out of the environment.
To help make this vision a reality, all business and government signatories are committing to a set of ambitious 2025 targets.
Signatories will work to eliminate the plastic items we don’t need, innovate so all plastics we do need are designed to be safely reused, recycled or composted, and circulate everything we use to keep in in the economy and out of the environment.
At the heart of the Global Commitment is a vision of a New Plastics Economy, where plastics never become waste. Each signatory formally endorses the vision and the need to work towards achieving it.
It is defined by six key points:
• Elimination of problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through redesign, innovation, and new delivery models is a priority
• Reuse models are applied where relevant, reducing the need for single-use packaging
• All plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable
• All plastic packaging is reused, recycled, or composted in practice
• The use of plastics is fully decoupled from the consumption of finite resources
• All plastic packaging is free of hazardous chemicals, and the health, safety, and rights of all people involved are respected
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. Since its creation, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision makers across businesses, governments, and academia. The charity’s work focuses on five interlinking areas: insight and analysis; education and training; business and government; systemic initiatives; and communications.
Further information: ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
Vandemoortele packaging strategy
The signature of the Global Commitment charter builds upon the new packaging strategy of Vandemoortele (which was established in 2019) by focusing on the following key actions
Discover our sourcing charter on plastic & paper and cardboard.