Portuguese retailer Continente has signed up to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, which aims to promote a circular economy model for plastic packaging.
It is a project led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme, which will also establish common goals for dealing with plastic waste and pollution.
The announcement of the signing of the international commitment by Continente follows the launch of the first Ellen MacArthur Foundation report, which highlights how brands, governments, and other organisations have established ways to deal with plastic pollution.
Continente is the first Portuguese retailer to sign the pact.
'Significant Improvement'
Sander Defruyt, head of the New Plastics Economy project at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, explained, ”The goals and action plans presented in this report represent a significant improvement, compared to the pace of change in recent decades.
“Levels of ambition should continue to rise in order to take real steps in combatting global plastic pollution by 2025, and moving from commitment to action is crucial. Big investments, innovations and transformation programmes need to start now, so we can gauge their impact by 2025," added Defruyt.
The governments of France, the United Kingdom and Chile, the Ministry of the Environment of New Zealand and Portugal, the World Economic Forum, the European Investment Bank and the Consumer Goods Forum, as well as several NGOs, universities, industrial associations, investors, and a group of companies that together account for 20% of all plastic packaging produced globally, have signed up for this project.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
