Of the nearly 415 million tonnes of plastic produced per year, 12 million tonnes (three percent) end up in the ocean. To better manage natural resources and reduce plastic pollution, businesses are joining governments in making commitments to reduce plastic production and consumption by 19 million tonnes per year by 2040 and increase recycled content in products and packaging by 5.4 million tonnes per year by 2025.
These Guidelines for Corporate Plastic Stewardship advise companies looking to set and meet ambitious plastic waste reduction leadership commitments based on comprehensive and sustainable plastic stewardship strategies.
A robust assessment of a company’s total plastic footprint should be the starting point for any plastic waste reduction leadership commitment. Once a footprint is understood, companies can act to reduce their plastic impact and achieve associated commitments.
The Guidelines set out:
- High-level plastic footprint assessment metrics
- A mitigation hierarchy illustrating the priority of different footprint and leakage mitigation strategies in a robust plastic stewardship programme
- How to use plastic credits in the context of plastic stewardship; and
- Three associated corporate leadership commitments and how they can be achieved
