Broken pact on plastics

2 in 3 companies that pledged to cut waste have made no progress.

Two thirds of firms which pledged last year to get rid of unnecessary single use plastics have shown no progress, a report reveals.

The ‘UK Plastics Pact’ was signed with great fanfare by 127 companies, including the big supermarkets and food and drink giants. In all, they accounted for 85 per cent of plastics on retailers shelves.

The pact was launched as public concern about plastic pollution surged after Sir David Attenborough’s Blue Planet II documentary. It set out four targets: To eliminate single use packaging; make 100 per cent of plastic packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable; ensure 70 per cent of plastic packaging was effectively recycled or composted; and to ensure there was at least 30 per cent average recycled content in their plastic.

However, a progress report by WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) gives details for only 45 of the 127 companies – just one in three of those which joined the pact.

Of those, only one in five reported action on all four targets. Another 16 per cent have failed to act on at least one target.