CGF Plastic Waste Coalition Launches Full Set of “Golden Design Rules” to Tackle Plastic Waste

PR90609

 

PARIS, July 13, 2021, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

 

With a common vision of a world where no plastic waste ends up in nature – land

or sea – The Consumer Goods Forum's (CGF) Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste[

https://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/environmental-sustainability/plastic-waste/key-projects/packaging-design/]

today announces the latest critical step made by Coalition members to transform

the industry's relationship with plastic packaging. The Coalition's 42 member

companies have published the remaining seven "Golden Design Rules", which

follows on from the launch of the first two of the series in December 2020.

Coalition members are committing to individual rules after identifying and

prioritising opportunities in their own packaging portfolios where they can

make targeted and valuable impact.

 

Guided by the vision of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation for a New Plastics

Economy [https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/our-work/activities/new-plastics-economy],

which the CGF endorsed in October 2018, the Coalition is committed to driving

progress towards realising a circular economy. To this end, at its launch last

year, the Coalition set out its vision of progress embodied in four main

priorities: packaging redesign, developing a framework for optimal Extended

Producer Responsibility (EPR) programmes, encouraging recycling innovation, and

piloting new programmes in advanced and transitional markets to increase

recycling rates.

 

Advancing on their first priority, Coalition members have now finalised the

complete series of "Golden Design Rules [https://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/environmental-sustainability/plastic-waste/key-projects/packaging-design/],

for the design of plastic packaging, created to accelerate progress towards

using less and better plastic. This set of voluntary, independent and

time-bound commitments will create significant value for the industry and wider

system, and build the necessary momentum for achieving the further design

changes required to achieve the targets laid out in the New Plastics Economy

Global Commitment.

 

The latest design rules focus on eliminating unnecessary plastic packaging, by

reducing headspace and plastic overwraps, as well as increasing recycling value

in various types of plastic, including PET thermoformed packaging, flexible

consumer packaging and rigid HDPE and PP.  Business-to-business plastic

packaging will also be targeted, with the elimination of all unnecessary

packaging that doesn't reach the consumer. The rules also cover the use of

clear and accurate on-pack recycling instructions, which will help consumers to

ensure that packaging is sorted for the appropriate end-of-life solution.  The

first two rules in the series, published in December 2020, focused on

increasing the value of PET bottle recycling and removing problematic elements

from packaging, such as carbon black, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and EPS

(expanded polystyrene), which complicate the recycling process.

 

The Golden Design Rules are based on commonly adopted expert design guidelines,

retailer design guidelines, advice published by reputable bodies, work of

Plastics Pacts and country-specific legislation, and have been adapted by

member company experts who have been part of the Design workstream. Throughout

the process, the workstream has been supported by an independent expert panel

from across the globe who has provided guidance on the wording of the rules, as

well as when exceptions have been raised, providing suggestions for technical

solutions.

 

Coalition members from around the world, with a shared revenue of more than one

trillion euros and representing more than 10 percent of the global plastic

packaging market, have committed to adopting these rules wherever possible by

2025. Members have been asked to voluntarily commit to implement these design

changes by 2025 and to report annually on progress, in a process aligned with

the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. Details of what the nine rules

entail and which members have adopted them are available on the Coalition's

website [https://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/environmental-sustainability/plastic-waste/key-projects/packaging-design/].

 

These actions on design are overseen by the Coalition's leadership. The

Coalition is sponsored at the CGF Board level by Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever, and

Galen Weston, Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited. Its Steering

Committee is co-chaired by Barry Parkin, Chief Procurement and Sustainability

Officer, Mars, Incorporated, and Robert Nicol, Vice President of Corporate

Affairs, Walmart Canada.

 

Ron Delia, CEO, Amcor, said, "Amcor welcomes the Golden Design Rules as a

shared benchmark that will help increase recycling rates and reduce waste in

the environment. These rules are fully aligned with Amcor's commitments to

design all our products to be recyclable or reusable by 2025. We are proud that

so many of our products already comply with these industry-leading standards

and we continue to innovate the responsible packaging solutions our customers

need to advance their sustainability journeys."

 

Galen Weston, Executive Chairman and President, Loblaw Companies Limited, said,

"The Golden Design Rules offer our industry the clarity and opportunity to

drive circularity and address plastic pollution. It's our job to lead, partner,

and apply urgency so these fundamental design changes become the industry norm.

Smarter systems begin with smarter material choices."

 

James Quincey, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company, said, "The Coca-Cola

Company's implementation of the CGF's Golden Design Rules exemplifies the close

collaboration occurring across the business and key stakeholders to drive

positive change. Whether it's a local example like our new label-less 100% rPET

bottle for the I LOHAS natural mineral water brand in Japan or a global goal

like the new virgin plastic reduction target we set earlier this year, we're

evolving our packaging and creating solutions to drive circularity."

 

Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever, said, "The CGF Golden Design Rules are a defining

moment for our industry as we try to boost recycling around the world and keep

plastic waste out of the environment. Our members have already developed

world-class innovations to make sure products are recyclable, but we need to go

further and faster. These shared standards will help drive better packaging

design, increase collective action and accelerate progress towards a circular

model."

 

The 42 member companies of the Plastic Waste Coalition are: ALDI SOUTH Group,

Amcor, Barilla, Bel Group, Beijing Hualian Group, Carrefour, The Coca-Cola

Company, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Dairy Farm, Essity, Ferrero, Grupo AlEn,

Grupo Bimbo, GSK, Henkel, ICA, Jerónimo Martins, Johnson & Johnson Consumer

Health, Kao Corporation, Land O'Lakes, Lenta, L'Oréal, Loblaw Companies

Limited, Mars, Incorporated, McCain Foods, Merck Animal Health, Mondelçz

International, Nestlé, NTUC Fairprice, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt,

Refresco, Rewe Group, Sainsbury's, SC Johnson, SIG Combibloc Group, Tetra Pak,

Unilever PLC, Walgreens Boots Alliance, and Walmart.

 

About The Consumer Goods Forum's Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste

The Consumer Goods Forum ("CGF") Coalition of Action on Plastic Waste was

founded in 2020 with the aim of developing a more circular approach to the

development and processing of plastic packaging in the consumer goods industry.

The development of the Coalition builds off the CGF's 2018 endorsement of the

Ellen MacArthur Foundation's New Plastics Economy. As a CEO-led group of 42

committed and innovative retailers and manufacturers, the Coalition's vision of

accelerating progress towards the New Plastics Economy is embodied by its

central aims for members to work towards implementing impactful measures

through multi-stakeholder collaborations that will help make circularity the

norm in the industry. For more information about the CGF's work reducing

plastic waste, visit www.tcgfplasticwaste.com

[http://www.tcgfplasticwaste.com/].

 

About The Consumer Goods Forum

The Consumer Goods Forum ("CGF") is a global, parity-based industry network

that is driven by its members to encourage the global adoption of practices and

standards that serves the consumer goods industry worldwide. It brings together

the CEOs and senior management of some 400 retailers, manufacturers, service

providers, and other stakeholders across 70 countries, and it reflects the

diversity of the industry in geography, size, product category and format. Its

member companies have combined sales of EUR 3.5 trillion and directly employ

nearly 10 million people, with a further 90 million related jobs estimated

along the value chain. It is governed by its Board of Directors, which

comprises 58 manufacturer and retailer CEOs. For more information, please

visit: www.theconsumergoodsforum.com [http://www.theconsumergoodsforum.com/].

 

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Source: The Consumer Goods Forum