SWANA has been invited to join the U.S. Plastics Pact, one of several new national and cross-border initiatives established to put the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative into action to address plastic waste and pollution at its source. SWANA signed on as an endorser of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in 2018.
The U.S. Plastics Pact joins pacts established in the UK, France, Chile, the Netherlands, South Africa, Portugal, and the EU to implement region specific goals. Each Pact is led by a local organization that unites governments, businesses, and citizens behind a common vision with an ambitious set of local targets. The U.S. Pact development has been guided by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, and The Recycling Partnership, with The Recycling Partnership taking the lead role.
As a signatory of the U.S. Plastics Pact, SWANA would support the organization’s efforts to bring together key stakeholders to implement solutions towards a circular economy for plastic. This includes supporting ambition targets developed by Global Commitment signatories, key stakeholders and other interested participants. These targets are:
TARGET 1: Define a list of packaging that is to be designated as problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and take measures to eliminate them by 2025.
TARGET 2: By 2025, all plastic packaging is 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
TARGET 3: Undertake ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50% of plastic packaging by 2025.
TARGET 4: By 2025, the average recycled content or responsibly sourced bio-based content in plastic packaging will be 30%.
If SWANA signs the U.S. Plastics Pact, our organization would be expected to:
- Designate a Point of Contact (“POC”) representative to actively participate in working groups when relevant to their business or organization and/or for the development of the U.S. Pact [Jesse Maxwell would likely serve as POC];
- Constructively support the U.S. Pact and actively work toward its goals, objectives, and 2025 targets;
- Work collaboratively, addressing the different challenges associated with achieving a circular economy for plastic with all players in the value chain;
- Have high ethical standards and act responsibly with honesty, integrity, respect, and transparency while keeping within the boundaries of anti-trust and confidentiality;
- Participate in the annual vote (one vote per Activator) to elect new members of the Advisory Council, as proposed by the Steering Committee;
- Be an active part of the conversation by participating in scheduled meetings and workstreams where applicable; and,
- Promote the U.S. Pact as a member on social media and elsewhere in accordance with the U.S. Pact’s brand guidelines.
As a not-for-profit organization, SWANA would not pay membership dues to the organization. SWANA would also have different requirements as a signatory compared to for-profit organizations. These are:
- Support progress toward achieving U.S. Pact targets by incorporating them into organizational goals where possible and by actively collaborating with other stakeholders from across the value chain in relevant U.S. workstreams and activities;
- Participate in and contribute to U.S. Pact working groups/workstreams based on organizational expertise;
- Participate in grant-funded pilot project implementation with government agencies, non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”), and private entities to support action-oriented progress toward the targets, such as infrastructure improvements or education and outreach;
- Participate in regular Activator meetings, either in-person or virtually;
- Conduct and/or participate in multi-stakeholder engagement, research, and best practices sharing throughout the U.S. Pact stakeholder network (and more broadly as applicable);
- Engage with citizens through education campaigns, as applicable to the organization’s reach;
- Assist in furthering the mission of the U.S. Pact by sharing approved news and information in
- accordance with the U.S. Pact’s brand guidelines; and,
- Report annually on individual organizational progress toward U.S. Pact targets (to be shared publicly) using the Beyond Supply Chain qualitative survey as part of WWF’s ReSource: Plastic Footprint Tracker.
Below are links to additional documents for your review, including a copy of the signatory document SWANA would sign.
Please provide any feedback regarding SWANA participation in the U.S. Plastics Pact by Thursday, August 6.
The deadline for comments is Aug. 6, 2020.
Please contact the Hoosier Chapter with any questions.
