Canada's Food, Beverage, and Consumer Goods Manufacturers Endorse Vision of Zero Plastic Waste

MISSISSAUGA, ON, June 25, 2019 /CNW/ - Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) today (Tuesday) became the first national trade association to endorse the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's vision for a New Plastics Economy,¹ moving Canada toward a future of zero plastic waste.

The New Plastics Economy is led by the MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment agency.  The Foundation's vision of a circular economy for plastic brings together businesses, governments, and NGOs to ensure plastic never becomes waste.  90% of Canadians in a recent national poll conducted by Abacus Data said they want the sector to care deeply about its impact on the environment.

FCPC CEO Michael Graydon commented: "FCPC is honoured to become the first Canadian trade association to endorse the MacArthur Foundation's vision for a New Plastics Economy. 

We are committed to leading within Canada's grocery sector to push for sustainable packaging innovations that keep plastic waste out of the environment without compromising safety or affordability for Canadian families."  

Sander Defruyt, the foundation's New Plastics Economy lead, applauded FCPC's endorsement, saying: "The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment unites businesses, governments and others behind a clear vision of a circular economy for plastic.  We are pleased Food & Consumer Products of Canada is endorsing our vision for a world where plastic never becomes waste or pollution.

It will be a challenging journey, but by coming together we can eliminate the plastics we don't need and innovate so the plastics we do need can be safely and easily circulated – keeping them in the economy and out of the environment."

Through the New Plastics Economy global commitment,² individual FCPC member companies can commit to specific targets to achieve the vision, including making all packaging 100% reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025.

The Coca-Cola Company, the Colgate-Palmolive Company, Danone, Henkel, Johnson & Johnson Inc., the Kellogg Company, L'Oréal, Mars, McCormick, Nestlé, PepsiCo, SC Johnson, and Unilever are signatories to the global commitment. 

FCPC will encourage more member companies to sign the global commitment and encourage other Canadian industry associations to endorse the New Plastics Economy vision.

Food & Consumer Products of Canada (FCPC) is the voice of the Canadian food, beverage and consumer products industry. We represent more than 100 food, beverage, and consumer product businesses of all sizes.

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1	https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/assets/doc/npec-vision.pdf
2	https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/projects/global-commitment

Food processing is the largest employer in the manufacturing sector in Canada, directly employing nearly 300,000 workers in over 6,000 manufacturing facilities from coast to coast. We contribute nearly $29 billion annually to Canada's economy and provide safe, high-quality products found in virtually every single home in Canada. 

For more information, visit www.fcpc.ca.

SOURCE Food & Consumer Products of Canada

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