Spadel draws a line in the sand

Spadel helping to create a world where plastic never becomes waste or pollution.

By 2050 there could be more plastic than fish in the ocean. Yet the problems start long before plastic reaches our oceans, rivers and beaches, and so must the solutions. From protecting food and medicines to making technology accessible and affordable, our modern economy relies on plastic for many things. But the way we use this material has resulted in a crisis of waste and pollution.

People around the world are coming together to demand change. Many are changing the way they shop, what they eat and how they live. Millions of euros are being invested in cleaning up plastics from our oceans, rivers and streets. But all this vital work will be for nothing if we don’t think differently about packaging and how we (re)use it. It’s why Spadel signed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in June 2019.

Launched in October 2018, under the Global Commitment companies and governments promise to eliminate problematic and unnecessary plastic packaging. Over 400 organisations are now committed to making all plastic packaging 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable so that it can be safely and easily circulated without becoming waste or pollution.

One year on

Promising early progress has already been made, as shown in the first progress report published by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme on 24 October. It comes 12 months after the launch of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, which set out a circular economy vision for plastic. This report provides an unprecedented level of transparency on how almost 200 businesses and governments are transitioning to a circular economy for plastics.

For example, packaged goods and retail signatories from around the world have pledged to increase recycled plastic more than five-fold, from 4% to 22%, by 2025. Including reused and recycled materials is also a core component of Spadel’s packaging strategy. Our packaging is already 100% recyclable and we aim to use 100% recycled materials in all our packaging by 2025.

As we have only just joined the #GlobalCommitment, our initiatives and achievements will be included in the next progress report in 2020.

The question is not whether a world without plastic pollution is possible, but what we will do together to make it happen. Spadel is proud to be a part of this groundbreaking global movement. Read the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment progress report 2019 to learn more about what we, and others around the world, are doing to make it a reality.