The Recycling Partnership, an industry coalition that includes food giants like Nestlé, Mars, and Unilever, has introduced a plan to tax companies using plastic packaging, reports Politico Pro. Though companies have fought against a plastic packaging tax for years, many are now on board due to rising consumer criticism and a dire need for recycled materials. Revenue from the fees would be combined with the $4 billion in annual taxpayer money that funds local recycling programs.
Some companies have already taken measures to reduce plastic waste. Coca-Cola said that half of its packaging will be made from recycled materials by 2030 and PepsiCo is aiming to use 25 percent recycled material by 2025. However, the U.S. would have to collect 1.6 billion additional pounds of plastic bottles every year to deliver enough recycled material for these companies to meet their targets, according to The Recycling Partnership.
“The industry has an evolving perspective around producer responsibility,” said Dylan de Thomas, vice president of external affairs at The Recycling Partnership. “In the past, industry players could just say no. But that’s increasingly not an option anymore if companies want to be a proactive player in building policy.”
Many governmental policy makers are already begun to require consumer brands to be more responsible for their plastic waste. Legislators in nine states have launched bills around plastic packaging waste and, nationally, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) plan to reintroduce legislation in March that would make companies fund recycling programs and require that products be made with 80 percent recycled material by 2040. Full Story (Subsciption Required)
Related: Mars Food Sets Purpose Commitments; Diageo Commits to Inclusion, Diversity, Sustainability.