More Than 60 Companies Enter Into An Agreement To Reduce Plastic Waste

Food & Water Waste

Pollution. The bane of everyone’s existence. Activists have fought hard to reduce waste. They preach about the terms reduce, reuse, recycle. Unfortunately, this cry falls on deaf ears. The oceans have been littered with garbage, and all the creatures in it are slowly losing their homes.

Something needs to be done. Plastic isn’t biodegradable. Meaning, this won’t break down naturally. What happens is that dirt accumulates, choking all marine life in the process. And this reality is beginning to sink in for many people.

Australia, one of the many countries affected has seen the lasting effects of plastic pollution. Hence, major affiliates supplying supermarkets in both Australia and New Zealand have bonded together and have made a promise to address Oceania’s plastic waste crisis. This may be the change that they need and it could start a trend for the rest of the world.


There were over 60 companies signing on this project. Many of which are major names such as Woolworths, Coca-Cola, and Nestle. Included are several government departments as well.

The joint project is called ANZPAC Plastics Pact (ANZPAC). This is a collaborative solution to bring forth key players that share vision and show a united front for a circular economy for plastic. The ultimate goal for this is so that plastic never becomes waste or a cause for pollution. While the UN has high hopes for 2030, 2045, or 2050, ANZPAC has taken an even loftier approach. The group wants to achieve all its goals in a mere four years.

So, what tare their four goals? They want their vision to be rapidly pursued over a four-year period, involve eliminating unnecessary plastic waste, making all of what remains of the plastic to be recyclable, reusable, or compostable, increasing self-policed plastic packaging by 25 percent, and lastly, increasing use of recycled plastic in manufacturing by 25 percent.

Fact is, only around a low 18 percent of plastics are recycled in the ANZPAC region. In hindsight, this means that hundreds of thousands of tons either end up in landfills or sit wasting away in the ecosystem all over.

The ANZPAC Plastics Pact has joined forces with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s global Plastics Pact Network. They have strategically aligned themselves to respond to plastic waste and pollution. They want to spread and disseminate vital knowledge in coordinated action. This move unites more than 550 organizations across 11 Plastics Pacts all over the world.


Jenni Downes, a research fellow at Monash University’s Sustainable Development Institute, has spoken to ABC Australia about this big move. She says, “What I’m hoping for is that this will also be a way of Australia and New Zealand being able to support the Pacific region, which has different but just as challenging issues with plastic.”

The Australian Packaging Covenant Organization (APCO) will also lead the on the ground efforts of the ANZPAC members. They will offer their services in reporting, governance, and administrative frameworks, and efficacy research. Brooke Donnelly of APCO spoke about this move by saying, “What we’re really trying to address here is a systemic problem that says the plastics system is actually broken. Our take, make, and dispose approach means too much plastics waste is actually ending up in landfill.”

This is an important move as New Zealand, Australia, and the other Pacific Island nations have been valued for their beaches and natural beauty. These countries have also been the most unlucky casualties of the plastic pollution problem. It is with hope that through their combined efforts and collaboration, they can turn back the hands of the clock and do something about the plastic tide problem.

 

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