The Global Commitment 2022
The Global Commitment progress report outlines how business and government signatories have...
We must change how we design, use, and reuse plastics. We cannot simply recycle or reduce our way out of the plastic pollution crisis. If we don’t act now, by 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans.
A circular economy for plastic
The circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. considers every stage of a product’s journey – before and after it reaches the customer. This approach is not only vital to stop plastic pollution, it also offers strong economic, social, and climate benefits. By 2040 a circular economy has the potential to:
reduce the annual volume of plastics entering our oceans by 80%
reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%
generate savings of USD 200 bn per year
create 700,000 net additional jobs
The circular economy considers every stage of a product’s journey – before and after it reaches the customer.
To create a circular economy for plastic we must take three actions:
Eliminate
Eliminate all problematic and unnecessary plastic items
Innovate
Innovate to ensure that the plastics we do need are reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
Circulate
Circulate all the plastic items we use to keep them in the economy and out of the environment
From voluntary actions to a legally-binding global treaty
Through the Global Commitment and Plastics Pact Network more than 1,000 organisations, including businesses and governments, have united behind this vision and 2025 targets for a circular economy for plastic.
While voluntary action is important, it is not sufficient by itself.
A UN treaty based on legally-binding global rules and comprehensive circular economy measures is a unique opportunity to accelerate systems change and end plastic pollution.
Policymakers have a critical role to play in creating the right conditions and incentivising progress. A (UN treaty) is the next necessary step, if we are to scale the successful voluntary agreements already in place. It's not an either / or situation - we need common, urgent action that builds on this momentum to amplify current efforts and level the playing field.
