WRAP Global

The UK Plastics Pact is a trailblazing, collaborative initiative that will create a circular economy for plastics. It brings together businesses from across the entire plastics value chain with UK governments and NGOs to tackle the scourge of plastic waste.

Our throwaway culture needs to change.

We need to move away from a linear plastics economy, where we take, make and dispose of plastic, towards a circular system where we capture the value of plastics material - keeping plastic in the economy and out of the oceans.

Plastics have an important role to play, particularly in protecting our food. However, the current plastics system is failing because:

Not all packaging is designed in a way that it can be recycled e.g. black plastic.

Consumers are confused about what they can and cannot recycle.

There is inconsistent household recycling provision - 1 in 4 UK local authorities do not collect pots, tubs and trays.

Plastics are entering the natural environment - approx. 5,000 items of marine plastic pollution have been found per mile of beach in the UK.

We are very reliant on export markets for recycling - currently 67%.

Current packaging legislation does not drive a system where plastics never become waste.

The UK Plastics Pact will generate a fundamental change in the way we design, produce, use, re-use, dispose and reprocess plastics.