Despite the many benefits plastics provide us, we face a huge challenge in reducing our plastic wastage and littering. To face this challenge, the European Plastics Pact accelerates the shift toward the reuse and recycling of single-use plastic products and packaging. The Pact brings together governments and frontrunners from across the whole value chain. They work together towards four goals aimed at design, responsible use, recycling capacity and the use of recycled content. The Pact supports this work by offering a unique platform to exchange ideas, display good practices and discuss challenges, needed to build a new circular default for all to follow. The Netherlands and France started this initiative, but many other governments, companies, non-governmental organisations and business associations from across Europe helped to shape the final text of the European Plastics Pact.

Goals and Impact:

The European Plastics Pact is based on four aspirational objectives to achieve better life cycle management of plastics: Reusability and recyclability: Design all plastic packaging and single-use plastic products placed on the market to be reusable where possible and in any case recyclable by 2025; Responsible use of plastics: move towards a more responsible use of plastic packaging and single-use plastic products, aiming to reduce virgin plastic use by at least 20% (by weight) by 2025, half of which coming from an absolute reduction in plastics; Collection, sorting and recycling: increase collection, sorting and recycling capacity by at least 25 percentage points by 2025 and reach a level that corresponds to market demand for recycled plastics; Use of recycled plastics: Increase the use of recycled plastics in new products and packaging by 2025, achieving an average of at least 30% recycled plastics (by weight) in new products and packaging ranges.