Please invest in Our Daily Planet today, by making a one time or monthly contribution.
We do not charge our readers a subscription fee for our content. We want to continue to grow our readership, particularly among millennials and public servants. Voluntary contributions from readers will help us employ interns and freelance journalists, expand our content, and reach a larger audience.
If you make a contribution of $150 or more, you will become an official “Friend of the Planet” and receive a Friend of the Planet T-shirt or water bottle.
Our Daily Planet is a daily morning email (M-F) to keep you informed of the stories shaping our environment. If these issues matter to you, we’d like to be the best ten minutes of your morning.
A little over a year ago the World Wildlife Fund launched ReSource: Plastic an activation hub to help an initial group of major corporations meet their plastics commitments through better data and measurable action. Today, WWF released a report called Transparent 2020 which examines the plastic footprints of these companies and provides a detailed look at the challenges and potential solutions for tackling the plastic pollution problem.
Sheila Bonini, SVP of private sector engagement at WWF explained that,
“In its first year, ReSource has begun to tap into the massive potential that companies have to become key levers that can actually help change the course of this global problem – but also their willingness and ability to act together.”
Why This Matters: WWF identified that as few as 100 companies have the potential to help prevent roughly 10 million metric tons of the world’s plastic waste pollution. Deriving lessons learned and helping standardize metrics through the initial phase of ReSource will help other companies make more meaningful commitments to reducing plastics and keeping them out of the environment.
The tools to identify the most effective interactions companies can take to lower their plastic footprints are becoming more effective and accessible. By refining these tools, ReSource hopes to enlist 100+ companies by 2030 in the effort to reach the ultimate goal of preventing at least 50 million metric tons of plastic waste from entering nature.
The Goals: ReSource has three main goals:
eliminate unnecessary plastic
shift to sustainable inputs for remaining plastic
double global recycling and composting of plastic
The Companies: The principal members of ReSource included, Coca-Cola, Keurig Dr. Pepper, McDonald’s, Procter & Gamble, and Starbucks. After a year of the pilot, Amcor, Colgate-Palmolive and Kimberly-Clark have also agreed to join.
The Methodology: Over the past year, member companies have begun to utilize the ReSourceFootprint Tracker, an innovative methodology designed to fill a critical measurement gap companies have needed to effectively advance plastic sustainability. Following the lifecycle of plastic, the Footprint Tracker measures how much and what kind of plastic is being used, and where they are likely ending up upon disposal.
The Findings: The inaugural report found the 5 initial ReSource member companies collectively used 4.2 million metric tons of plastic in one year, of which only 8% was sourced from recycled material.
While these figures represent the need to address infrastructure challenges around increasing recycled plastic—they also tell a story of partnership and transparency, which is critical to enabling meaningful progress to address the systemic issues on plastic waste.
The report the need to develop action plans that focus on country-level opportunities. The United States represents the single biggest opportunity for better recycling systems due to the high sales volumes of ReSource companies coupled with limited recycling infrastructure and high landfill rate.
In particular, polypropylene recycling in the US is highlighted as a strong opportunity for increased recycling. The US recycling rate for polypropylene is close to zero, and as the demand for quality recycled polypropylene far exceeds supply, collective action is needed to increase availability.
Next Steps: Going forward, ReSource will seek to fill more data gaps in corporate plastics footprints and improve the quality and precision of our understanding of the plastic waste system overall. Companies will now be encouraged to set and report reusability targets at the country level, collaborate with other companies on localized solutions, as well as invest in consumer behavior change.
The most progressive corporate commitments this week involve nature-based mitigation and pushing sustainability out into their supply chains. Walmart pledged to do some big things, including achieving zero emissions by 2040 without carbon offsets, committing to protect and restore at least 50 million acres of land and one million square miles of ocean by 2030, and promising zero waste in the US, Canada, and Japan by 2025.
Why This Matters: Nature-based solutions have until now been seen as greenwashing. But these new commitments go much farther.
by Natasha Lasky, ODP Contributing Writer A 1000-foot stretch highway in Oroville, CA was recently repaved with recycled plastic and asphalt—the first time a state department has paved a road with 100% recycled materials. This durable recycled material can combat potholes, last two to three times longer than asphalt roads, and reuse about 150,000 single-use […]
Why This Matters: The report is another loudly ringing alarm bell that our current path is unsustainable — and we need to make a huge shift away from “business as usual” across a range of human activities.
Subscribe to the email that top lawmakers, renowned scientists, and thousands of concerned citizens turn to each morning for the latest environmental news and analysis.
Want the lastest climate news summarized for you each morning?
Our Daily Planet is your daily dose of the stories shaping our world and the ways that you can take action. From the climate crisis to the protection of biodiversity, if these issues matter to you then please subscribe & stay informed!
Your privacy is Important! We promise never to use your email address to send you spam or advertisements.
