Amcor signs up to US Plastics PactPlastics in Packaging

The U.S. Plastics Pact is a collaborative, solutions-driven initiative, which aims to create a path towards a circular economy for plastics in the United States by 2025. As part of the U.S. Pact, activators like Henkel and L'Oréal United States of America recognize that significant, systemwide change is imperative to realize a circular economy for plastics. The expanding network will exchange insights and best practices across countries to accelerate the transition to a low-plastic economy. As such, the pact will unite more than 70 brands, retailers, NGOs and government agencies throughout the plastics value chain to bring a single voice to USA packaging via coordinated initiatives and inventive solutions for revamping products, packaging and business models.

Ensure the average proportion of recycled content or responsibly-sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging reaches 30 per cent by 2025.

Amcor is making progress towards its commitment to develop all its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025, significantly increase the use of recycled materials, and drive greater recycling of packaging around the world.

"Managing plastics has become a grand and complex environmental challenge, and plastic packaging clearly warrants current efforts on reductions and coordinated material recovery and recycling", says Gregory Keoleian, director of the Center for Sustainable Systems at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and senior author of the paper in Environmental Research Letters.

In line with the Ellen McArthur Foundation's vision of a circular economy for plastic, which unites more than 850 organizations, the U.S. Plastics Pact brings together plastic packaging producers, brands, retailers, recyclers, waste management companies, policymakers, and other stakeholders. "We look forward to sharing our ideas and experience in sustainability with U.S. Plastics Pact members as we work together toward effective and sustainable solutions".

A new study by researchers from the University of MI showed how 66 percent of all the plastics and plastic waste in the U.S.in 2017 were for purposes such as electronics, furniture, home furnishings, cars, building construction, and other consumer products.

While the U.S. Plastics Pact is complementary to, and follows the ambitious precedents set by the existing global network of plastic pacts, it will be tailored to meet the unique needs and challenges of the domestic market.

As part of the pact, FMI acknowledges that significant, systemwide change is crucial to creating a circular economy for plastics.

A new study showed how 66% of all the plastics and plastic waste in the U.S. in 2017 were for purposes such as electronics, furniture, home furnishings, cars, building construction, and other consumer products, and that there is a severe lack of recycling being done. In order to maintain continual and effective collaboration, the US Plastics Pact will seek guidance from a robust Advisory Council, made up of 10 Activator organisations, companies, and Governments.