Encouraging circularity anddoing our part to keep plastics
out of natural spaces
What We Do
With a common vision of a world where no plastic waste ends
up in nature – land or sea – the CGF’s Coalition of Action on
Plastic Waste and its 40 member companies are committed
to engage in the important effort of driving progress towards
realising a low-waste, circular economy. Understanding theneed for innovative thinking, quick action and the support ofa critical mass of stakeholders to address the global epidemicof plastic pollution, the Coalition is developing a sustainableapproach to the use of plastics that encourages circularityand helps keep natural spaces free of plastic waste.
Why We Do It
There is an urgent need to tackle the problems associatedwith plastic waste, especially as 95% of plastic packaging iscreated for single-use. The United Nations Environmental
Programme estimates that of the 8.3 billion tonnes of plastics
produced since the 1950s, about 60 percent has ended up ina landfill or the natural environment. The 8-12 million tonnesof plastic waste that ends up in the ocean every year is oneof the most visible and alarming signs of the plastic pollution
problem.

How We Do It
The Coalition is guided by the vision of the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation for a New Plastics Economy, which the CGF
endorsed in October 2018. Moving from a linear to a circular
economy requires a different approach to plastic usage,
from production, consumption and reuse, to recycling anddisposal. This new approach will require collaboration,knowledge and experience sharing, and creating partnerships
with different sectors and organisations that, under different
circumstances, might not normally have come together toact. The Coalition’s vision of accelerating progress towards a
circular economy is embodied in its four priorities: packaging
redesign, developing a framework for optimal Extended
Producer Responsibility (EPR) programmes, encouraging
recycling innovation, and supporting the improvement ofwaste management programmes in advanced and transitionalmarkets.
Packaging Redesign
In order to realise a New Plastics Economy, we not
only have to rethink how plastic is used, collected,and processed, but we also need to rethink the design of
packaging itself to optimise it for a circular economy. One
reason why plastic packaging ends up in nature is dueto the complexity of the recycling process, which can becomplicated by poor packaging design, the inclusion ofproblematic materials and the presence of excess packaging.
Coalition members have created a set of nine “Golden DesignRules” for the design of plastic packaging which are designed
to accelerate progress towards their aim of using less andbetter plastic and cover the vast majority of plastic packaging,
focusing on eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging, as
well as increasing recycling value of various types of plastics.
Extended Producer Responsibility
The Coalition has developed an optimal frameworkfor Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
programmes to help aid members in their engagementwith governments and policymakers. EPR programmes
guide facilitated collaboration between the industry andgovernments to help ensure circularity of the lifespan ofpackaging.
Chemical Recycling
In 2022, the Coalition published a paper which
encourages the development of pyrolysis based
chemial recycling that meet six principles for credible,
safe and environmentally sound development, anda Life Cycle Assessment study that demonstrates positiveenvironmental benefits for pyrolsis-based chemical recycingof hard-to recycling plastics that would otherwise end up
in incineration facilities. They are working to send a strong
demand signal for advanced recycling to investors, upstream
suppliers, and chemical recyclers to scale up chemical
recycling technologies.

Support Improved Waste Management Systems
Finally, recognising that a circular approach to theuse of plastics is an inclusive one with seamless
transitions from production, use and processing, the Coalition
will work with governments from advanced and transitional
markets to improve or implement optimal waste management
systems.
Partnerships and Collaborations

Membership and GovernanceForty of the world’s largest consumer goods companies
are members of the Plastic Waste Coalition of Action. Itis sponsored at the CGF Board level by Alan Jope, CEO,
Unilever, and Galen Weston, CEO, Loblaw Companies Limited.
Its Steering Committee is chaired by Barry Parkin, Chief
Procurement and Sustainability Officer, Mars, Incorporated,and Robert Nicol, Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Walmart
Canada.

We recognise that the plastic waste challenge will only besolved by global collaboration between companies, nationaland local governments, multinational organisations, therecycling industry and consumers. For each of our threeworkstreams, we have partnered with key organisations who
are also actively working towards finding solutions in thesedifferent areas.
The Coalition aims to bring unique value to the existing efforts
against plastic waste through the CGF’s emphasis on retailermanufacturer collaboration and action-oriented focus. To thisend, the Coalition is looking to partner with key organisations
across different geographies to build on the work that isalready being done and avoid duplication.
The Coalition has been working with SYSTEMIQ to create
a blueprint for reaching its ambitions, receiving particularsupport from SYSTEMIQ on its work developing packaging
design guidelines.

“Solving the plastic waste problem requires us tore-think the life of plastics as we know it. I know
the Coalition will make significant progress inreaching a circular economy.”
Ignacio Gavilan
Director, Sustainability
The Consumer Goods Forum

Creating a Blueprint for Success
In 2018, the CGF partnered with SYSTEMIQ and McKinsey,
with the support of CGF members to undertake a yearlong study. As a result, we were able to create a blueprint
for reaching our ambitions through the development ofa simulation model comparing collection and recycling
rates, material flows, as well as associated financial andsocial implications for different combinations of waste
management system design choices. The results of this study
helped influence and shape the prioirites of the Coalition.

CEOCo-Sponsors

www.tcgfplasticwaste.com
environmental@theconsumergoodsforum.com@CGF_SusCGF Social and Environmental Sustainability

Encouraging circularity and doing ourpart to keep plastics out of nature