UK retailers sign pact to ban plastics

UK retailers are signing up to the UK Plastics Pact, which aims to make all
plastic packaging recyclable, recycled or biodegradable by 2025. London
department store Selfridges was a catalyst for other stores, when it banned
all sales of single-use plastic bottles for fizzy drinks from its stores
earlier this month.

Supermarket giants Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Lidl, Waitrose and Tesco
have all signed up to the new industry-wide initiative, however despite the
progress, many have criticised the pact for not going far enough and
failing to enforce change from the retail industry. Retailers including
Marks & Spencer have also pledged to join the plastics ban.

Retailers in the UK pay less than any European country towards the handling
of their waste, with 90 per cent of the bill being paid by the taxpayer.

“Our ambition to eliminate avoidable plastic waste will only be realised if
government, businesses and the public work together,” environment secretary
Michael Gove said.

“Industry action can prevent excess plastic reaching our supermarket
shelves in the first place. I am delighted to see so many businesses sign
up to this pact and I hope others will soon follow suit.”

Wrap’s chief executive Marcus Gover added: “We have a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to rethink and reshape the future of plastic so that we retain
its value, and curtail the damage plastic waste wreaks on our planet.

“This requires a whole scale transformation of the plastics system and can
only be achieved by bringing together all links in the chain under a shared
commitment to act.”

The UK Plastics Pact is the first of its kind in the world. It will be
replicated in other countries to form a powerful global movement for change
as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy
initiative. It is being led by WRAP, the sustainability experts.

Photo source WRAP website