The UK’s biggest businesses have cut their use of unnecessary plastic packaging by 40 percent in the last year, a new report has revealed.
Signatories to The UK Plastics Pact – which include Unilever, Nestle and PepsiCo – between them produced 40% fewer non-recyclable and unnecessary pieces of plastic packaging in 2019, compared to 2018.
The figures were revealed by the Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP) in The UK Plastic Pact’s second annual report, which demonstrated good progress by its members against targets and good progress in plastic recycling at home.
Whilst the figures show much-needed progress is being made, the charity’s chief executive, Marcus Gover, warns that significant challenges lie ahead which require urgent attention to keep the UK on track.
“It’s great to see UK Plastics Pact members cutting unnecessary plastic packaging by 40% and increasing recycling to 50% in just one year,” said Grover.
“This was exactly why we set up the Pact – to tackle problematic plastic, increase reuse and recycling, and stop plastic polluting the environment. I am delighted with the progress and very pleased to see leading businesses trialling refill and reuse alternatives.”
Data from the report showed the following progress by Pact members in 2019:
- Target 1: A 40% reduction in plastic items classed as problematic or unnecessary sold (400 million) compared to 2018
- Target 2: 64% of plastic packaging sold by Pact members continues to be recyclable
- Target 3: UK plastic packaging recycling levels increased to 50% (from 44% in 2018)
- Target 4: Average recycled content increased to 13% (from 9% in 2018)
The UK Plastics Pact brings together UK businesses, governments and NGOs to tackle plastic waste. It is the first such initiative in the world working to create a circular economy for plastics.
Their 2019-20 UK annual report, which includes further details on the Pact’s targets, progress and timelines, can be found at wrap.org.uk.
