The U.S. Plastics Pact has unveiled its latest strategic framework, Roadmap 2.0, which aims to revolutionize the way companies approach plastic packaging. This comprehensive plan focuses on fostering a circular economy by ensuring that plastic packaging is reused, recycled, composted, and retained within the economy, rather than becoming waste. Roadmap 2.0 builds upon the foundations laid by the initial Roadmap to 2025, setting even more ambitious targets to tackle plastic waste and drive systemic change across the entire plastics value chain.
Over the past four years, the U.S. Plastics Pact has made significant strides towards achieving plastics circularity. One notable achievement was the reduction of problematic materials, with the presence of unnecessary or troublesome plastics decreasing from 14% to 8%. Additionally, the proportion of plastic packaging that is reusable, recyclable, or compostable increased from 37% to 47.7%. The Pact also reported progress in the use of post-consumer recycled or responsibly sourced biobased content in packaging, which grew from 7% to 9.4%.
Membership in the U.S. Plastics Pact expanded significantly, growing from 62 to over 130 committed Activators. The Pact also introduced essential resources, such as the PCR (post-consumer resin) Procurement Toolkit, PCR Certification Principles, and the forthcoming Design for Circularity Playbooks, set to be published in the summer of 2024, to support these efforts.
As the landscape of plastic use and waste management evolves, Roadmap 2.0 seeks to push the boundaries even further. The new plan carries forward unfulfilled targets from the original roadmap and sets new objectives based on the collective experience of its Activators. A critical new focus is on reuse innovations, such as implementing returnable cup systems at events, which aims to substantially reduce reliance on single-use plastics.
Design for circularity remains a cornerstone of Roadmap 2.0, with a goal that all plastic packaging be created to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable. By 2030, the Pact plans to eliminate all items listed in the expanded Problematic & Unnecessary Materials List and reduce virgin plastic use by 30%, ensuring that only essential plastics are produced and used sustainably.
Effective recycling is another pivotal goal, with a target to recycle 50% of plastic packaging and build the necessary infrastructure to support this effort at scale. Concurrently, plastic packaging will aim to average 30% post-consumer recycled or responsibly sourced biobased content. The roadmap also acknowledges the broader health and community impacts of plastic production and use, aiming to address social disparities linked to these issues.
The U.S. Plastics Pact continues to collaborate within the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Plastics Pact Network and other global initiatives to align efforts and share best practices. Roadmap 2.0 underscores the necessity of cross-sector collaboration and innovation to achieve its ambitious objectives. Slated to commence on January 1, 2026, the early release of Roadmap 2.0 allows Activators ample time to align with its new goals. The U.S. Plastics Pact's approach fosters a culture of trust, transparency, and cooperation, ensuring aligned and impactful efforts. By emphasizing sustainable design and the reduction of plastic waste, companies can play a significant role in advancing a circular economy and creating a more sustainable future.
