Major brands call for access to 800K metric tons of chemically recycled plastic by 2030

Dozens of leading brands want access to up to 800,000 metrics They will use large amounts of chemically recycled plastic by 2030, they said in a Thursday letter.

Members of the Consumer Goods Forum’s Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste, which includes major food and packaging brands, letter of intent It outlines the need to source chemically recycled plastics in addition to mechanically recycled materials to meet packaging demand. The letter was addressed to industry stakeholders such as suppliers and investors and focused primarily on demand in the European market.

Amcor, Barilla, Colgate Palmolive, Danone, Ferrero, Haleon, Henkel, Mars, McCain Foods, Mondelēz International, PepsiCo and Unilever signed the letter.

The group said chemical recycling, also called advanced recycling, could be an important way to reduce plastic waste and help brands reach their ambitious recyclability and recycled content goals. I’m here. Members of the Union, their position Global commitment to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Initiative. It advocates for better global recycling practices and a circular economy approach to packaging away from virgin plastic.

In the letter, the coalition said it would continue to invest in mechanical recycling infrastructure while supporting “the development of reliable, safe and environmentally sound chemical recycling infrastructure.” All plastics that go through a chemical recycling process must follow the principles outlined in April. position paper The coalition said it is focusing on pyrolysis-based chemical recycling processes.

The paper states that the process “It can actually be recycled economically by large-scale mechanical recycling,” he said, adding that chemically recycled content must be accurately tracked. Chemical recycling should be used to produce plastics, not to make products such as fuel, bitumen, asphalt or wax, the group added. We also ask companies to be transparent about their chemical recycling claims.

The CGF announcement comes at a time when major brands are already using chemical recycling processes to meet their fast-approaching recycled content goals. Mars in 2020 announced that it will introduce a new pet food bag Made from chemically recycled plastic.

However, environmental groups have opposed chemical recycling. Greenpeace USA called the CGF announcement “greenwashing” and said chemical recycling is not a safe or environmentally sound process. Greenpeace has called on brands to support the United Nations Global Plastics Convention. Tackling the world’s plastic waste it is in progress.

“At the moment, most people agree that plastic pollution is a problem. Unfortunately, companies are still focused on approaches near the bottom of the waste management hierarchy,” says Greenpeace. USA Director of Ocean Affairs, John Josevar said in a statement, United States EPA Ranking of waste management strategies.

Seeked by other environmentalists Paused A new permit for the US Chemical Recycling Infrastructure to study potential environmental impacts from the process, especially for the environmental justice community.