Page 29 - Plastics News March 2020

internAtionAL news

Coke and Pepsi sued for creating Europe joins pact to eliminate

a plastic pollution ‘nuisance plastic waste

oke, Pepsi, Nestle and other large companies are urope has become the first international region to
Cbeing sued by a California environmental group for Ejoin the Ellen Macarthur Foundation’s Plastics Pact
creating a plastic pollution “nuisance” and misleading network which aims to prevent plastics from becoming
consumers about the recyclability of plastic. The waste or pollution. The European Plastics Pact brings
suit, filed in San Mateo county superior court on together 15 governments and 66 businesses within
Wednesday, argues that companies that sell plastic the European Economic Area (EEA) to work towards
a common vision for a circular economy for plastics.
Although aimed at plastic packaging and single-use
plastics, it opens the door to more post-consumer
streams from these areas being recycled for use in other
sectors, such as textiles. Progress will be monitored and
reported each year by all signatories with a Secretariat
keeping track of the results. Today, the first working
groups will start to set up for monitoring and reporting.
They will also discuss reduce and reuse models, how to
design for a circular plastics economy, waste shipment,
food contact applications, and actions to steer the
supply chain.
bottles and bags that end up polluting the ocean should The European Plastics Pact joins the UK, France, Chile,
be held accountable for damaging the environment. The Netherlands, South Africa and Portugal as part of
The California-based environmental group, Earth the global Plastics Pact network, a unique platform to
Island Institute, have filed a lawsuit against 10 large exchange learnings and best practices across countries
companies, including Coke, Pepsi, and Nestlé, for their and regions to accelerate the transition to a circular
part in creating a plastic pollution “nuisance”, as well economy for plastic. - Sander Defruyt, New Plastics
as spreading misinformation about the recyclability of Economy Lead, Ellen MacArthur Foundation said,
their plastic packaging.On February 26, 2020, the suit “The European Plastics Pact is a major step towards
was filed in San Mateo county superior court, asking that
the companies pay to rectify the damage their plastic
pollution has caused to the world and refrain from
marketing products as recyclable, when by and large
they do not end up actually being recycled at recycling
facilities, due to the sheer volume and cost, as well as
sorting capabilities of local facilities.“This is the first of
what I believe will be a wave of lawsuits seeking to hold
the plastics industry accountable for the unprecedented
mess in our oceans,” Josh Floum, Earth Island Institute’s
board president, said in a statement.Around 150 million
metric tonnes of plastic currently reside in the ocean, creating a circular economy for plastic, and the first
with between 8 and 20 million extra tonnes of plastic supranational initiative to join the Ellen MacArthur
added each year to this figure, according to research Foundation’s global network of Plastics Pacts. We
estimates. In the plaintiff's suit, they argue that plastic applaud the leadership shown by the Dutch, French,
pollution has a detrimental impact on the environment and Danish governments to develop this ambitious
and its inhabitants. plan, joining forces with governments and businesses
across Europe.

29 March 2020 Plastics News