Consumer Good Forum endorses New Plastics Economy

PARIS – The Board of Directors of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) has called for the consumer goods industry to play a leading role in eliminating plastic waste on land and sea and endorses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy vision.

The statement was issued ahead of the Our Ocean Conference taking place in Bali, Indonesia this week, where Emmanuel Faber, Danone chairman & CEO and CGF Board member, will emphasize the important role industry can and should play to address plastic waste.

The full statement follows:

“As the Board of The Consumer Goods Forum, we recognize the pressing need for our industry to play a leading role in tackling the issue of plastic waste. We are committed to implementing pre-competitive, collaborative actions with the aim of eliminating plastic waste on land and sea.

“We recognize that the plastic waste challenge will only be solved by global collaboration between companies, national and local governments, multi-national organizations, the recycling industry and consumers. Consequently, the Board of The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) endorses the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy vision of a circular economy where no plastic ends up as waste.

“Several members of the CGF are already advancing efforts that are consistent with the goals and objectives of the New Plastics Economy, including efforts to reduce problematic or unnecessary packaging and increase use of packaging that is recyclable or reusable. To complement the efforts of individual member companies, the CGF will identify specific areas where we can work collaboratively and pre-competitively to advance a circular economy for plastic packaging. Initial focus areas will include optimizing packaging design, working with others to enable recycling and reuse systems, and inspiring consumer engagement.”

Peter Freedman, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum, said, “It is clear that the daunting challenge of plastic waste can only be addressed if we all work together – companies, governments, communities and consumers around the world. The CGF was created to drive exactly this sort of collaboration at scale. Specifically, our members are committed to working together in the three arenas where we think the industry can make a unique contribution – packaging design, consumer engagement and recycling systems. We look forward to working also with the other key stakeholders who play leading roles in these arenas and who share our long-term aim to eliminate plastic waste on land and sea.”