Fruit & Vegetable Magazine

News Environment
Canada Plastics Pact looks to reduce plastic waste and pollution

February 2, 2021  By Fruit and Vegetable


On Jan. 27, the Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) was launched to develop strategies for reducing plastic waste and pollution.

More than 35 partners have joined the CPP, representing diverse parts of the plastics value chain. Because plastic packaging accounts for 47 per cent of all plastic waste, it will be the immediate focus.

The CPP will ease collaboration between companies across the Canadian plastics value, building on significant work that is already underway to reduce plastics waste. Partners will rethink the way they design, use and reuse plastics, working toward a circular economy for plastic by 2025.

Advertisement

The CPP will work to eliminate unnecessary plastics, ensure plastics used are reusable, recyclable, or compostable, and circulate all plastic items used to keep them in the economy and out of the environment.

The CPP is working towards four clear, actionable targets by 2025:

  • Create a list of plastic packaging to be designated as problematic or unnecessary and take measures to eliminate them;
  • Support efforts towards 100 per cent of plastic packaging being designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable;
  • Undertake action to ensure that at least 50 per cent of plastic packaging is effectively recycled or composted; and
  • Ensure an average of at least 30 per cent recycled content across all plastic packaging (by weight).

Among the many founding partners of the CPP are the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), Environment and Climate Change Canada, and the Government of Canada.

“CPMA is pleased to join other organizations in supporting CPP’s mandate,” says Ron Lemaire, CPMA president. “CPP is a collaborative platform whose goals fall squarely in line with CPMA’s vision and commitment to reduce unnecessary plastics in the fresh produce industry.

“In 2019, CPMA established a Plastics Packaging Working Group to find evidence-based solutions to support the industry in creating a circular economy for plastics. We have developed several resources, including a Technical Report and a Roadmap highlighting steps we need to take to achieve our goals, and a Preferred Plastics Guide to help our members make informed packaging decisions.”

The immediate next steps for the CPP to achieve its goals by 2025 is to develop a roadmap for action. For complete transparency and measurable action, a CPP progress report will be made publicly available each year.


Print this page

Advertisement

Stories continue below