A partnership between the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Program has challenged companies and brands to change the factors that lead to plastic packaging pollution with an aggressive goal date of 2025. It is an opportunity at giving a common vision for how we advance solutions in this space.
There are many different options that brands, and their suppliers, are implementing to reduce waste and drive circularity into the supply chain. Consumer education and changing human behavior linked to the way we interface with refuse is critical. The system we have in place today to handle recycling could use a facelift and educational campaign to assist consumers with better understanding of their part and how it works in its entirety. Public willingness and participation are present. But non-uniform practices, the lack of information, and insufficient guidance has created an expensive path to landfills, and has driven mistrust for our system within U.S. homes.
