“Despite what may seem like slow progress, each small victory highlighted in the 2022 Annual Report is a stepping stone, building upon our foundational groundwork. The reality is that the plastic waste crisis isn’t a challenge the industry can solve within a few years – but the compound effect of our efforts suggests we are gaining momentum. Key stakeholders within the plastics value chain are actively engaged and working towards viable solutions,” says Cher Mereweather, Managing Director at the Canada Plastics Pact. “In the years ahead, the CPP will double down on source reduction, design for recyclability, infrastructure investment, and the alignment of good policy with the data to validate progress and impact.”
Target 1: Define a list of plastic packaging that is to be designated as unnecessary or problematic and take measures to eliminate them by 2025.
Progress: Unnecessary and problematic guidance document set for public release in January 2024
Progress: 100% of CPP Signatories have plans to eliminate eight problematic items.
Target 2: Support efforts towards 100% of plastic packaging being designed to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
Progress: 43% of plastic packaging placed on the market by CPP Partners is designated as reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
Target 3: Undertake ambitious actions to ensure that at least 50% of plastic packaging is effectively recycled or composted by 2025.
Progress: Based on the most current and reliable data available, it is estimated that 20% of plastic packaging was recycled in Canada in 2022, with flexible packaging having a recycling rate as low as 4%.
Target 4: Ensure an average of at least 30% recycled content across all plastic packaging (by weight) by 2025.
Progress: 12% was the average amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content (by weight) across plastic packaging used by CPP Partners.