Austin Joins Global Commitment To “New Plastics Economy”

The commitment has been adopted by 290 other organizations including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and nongovernmental organizations…

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Mayor Steve Adler and the City of Austin have joined the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, an initiative led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment).

The Global Commitment aims to create “a new normal” for plastic packaging by fundamentally rethinking the way we make, use and reuse plastic materials.

The commitment has been adopted by 290 other organizations including many of the world’s largest packaging producers, brands, retailers and recyclers, as well as governments and nongovernmental organizations. It was unveiled today at the Our Ocean conference in Bali, Indonesia.

The commitment’s targets are to:

• problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging and move from single-use to reusable packaging models
• to ensure 100 percent of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled or composted by 2025
• the plastic produced by significantly increasing the amount of plastics reused or recycled and made into new packaging or products

These targets align with Austin’s Zero Waste goal and support existing City efforts to reduce plastic waste, including offering plastic film and foam recycling at the Recycle and Reuse Drop-off Center, accepting rigid plastics #1–7 in curbside recycling, facilitating business-to-business reuse through the Austin Materials Marketplace, and supporting circular economy businesses through the Recycling Economic Development Program.

Austin Resource Recovery recently launched the #IStillBringIt education campaign to encourage Austinites to continue their use of reusable bags, and will continue to encourage voluntary prohibition of single-use plastic products.

“I was proud to sign onto the Global Commitment on behalf of the City of Austin,” said Mayor Adler. “Our great city has a long history of proving that environmental protection and a prosperous economy are not at odds. Austin is excited to join forces with other leaders around the world who are united by a common vision of keeping plastics in the economy and out of the environment.”

For more information visit newplasticseconomy.org.