P&G joins initiative to fight plastic waste and build circular economy

At the time in which the Environment month is celebrated and meetings of the negotiating committee take place with the participation of delegations from countries, NGOs and industry representatives for a Global Plastics Treaty (INC-2), Procter & Gamble, a multinational manufacturer of toiletries, global food products company Mars, packaging supplier Amcor and environmental NGO Delterra announced a global partnership to stem the tide of plastic pollution in key countries. The initiative foresees an investment of US$ 6 million over the next five years.

The project will initially operate in Brazil, Argentina and Indonesia. Investments will be aimed at increasing recycling capacity, with the objective of expanding and facilitating access to waste management systems for 10 million people.

The partnership between the companies will invest in solutions for the different stages of the consumption and waste generation chain:

• Reduce plastic pollution at source by preventing waste through a digital tool developed by Delterra that helps companies monitor and reduce their plastic footprint.
• Working alongside supply and demand to capture recyclable and compostable materials and return them to productive use.
• Invest in material traceability solutions to have more transparency regarding the origin and quality of products in the logistics chain.

According to the partners, the commitment is to develop urgent environmental actions and an understanding that the global challenge of plastic pollution cannot be solved without a systemic and holistic approach to implement scalable and sustainable programs to drive the transition to a circular economy.

“We are excited to partner with Amcor, Mars and P&G in our joint mission to eliminate waste in the environment. Solving the problem of plastic pollution and the wider product disposal crisis requires rethinking the way we produce and manage waste. This includes rapidly expanding waste collection and sorting, and developing credible recycling markets, along with a deeper redesign of how we consume. We are inspired that these organizations are facing this challenge alongside Delterra and invite more companies to join this growing partnership,” said Shannon Bouton, President and CEO of Delterra.

The institutions also point out that the creation of innovative programs for waste management along the entire value chain, especially in regions where ecosystems do not have the infrastructure to deal with waste, is essential for the development of increasingly more and more effective around the world.