Reports & Studies

WWF Mapping of Corporate Actions on Plastic Waste

WWF has established a vision of No Plastic in Nature by 2030 and imagines a world where our resources are never wasted. ReSource: Plastic leverages the power of business to achieve this vision. In its inaugural year, ReSource: Plastic worked with five Principal Members (Keurig Dr Pepper, McDonald’s Corporation, Procter & Gamble, Starbucks, and The Coca-Cola Company) as well as Thought Partners (The Ellen MacArthur Foundation and Ocean Conservancy) to establish a baseline of plastic use.

The ReSource Footprint Tracker is the main analytical tool through which corporate action and progress are measured for ReSource: Plastic.

The Tracker provides a standard methodology to track companies’ plastic footprints and publicly report on the progress of their plastic waste commitments.

Converging efforts will be key to success, and we are working toward the goal of aligning the ReSource: Plastic Footprint Tracker with the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, and the Trash Free Seas Alliance.

The goal of the pilot year of the Footprint Tracker was to establish a baseline of plastic use and management pathways for our Members.

Results from the first year and continued tracking in future years will help illuminate key challenges, provide insight into the most impactful opportunities for companies to take effective action on the plastic waste crisis, and measure progress over time.

This report presents key findings related to the ReSource Principal Members’ global plastic footprints in 2018, including their use of plastic by polymer type and form, use of recycled content and sustainably sourced biobased content, and the likely waste management pathways for their plastic portfolios.

The scope and characteristics of each company’s data are outlined within the report. Keurig Dr Pepper reported 208,000 metric tons of plastic; McDonald’s Corporation reported 153,000 metric tons; Procter & Gamble reported 605,000 metric tons; Starbucks reported 190,000 metric tons; and The Coca-Cola Company reported 3 million metric tons.

In total, 4.2 million metric tons of plastic were reported by ReSource Members, based on 2018 data.1 The Tracker identifies four waste management pathways for consumer-facing plastic packaging: recycled, landfilled, incinerated, or mismanaged.

Based on the results, we identify concrete calls to action for our Members, as well as broader recommendations for the private sector and other stakeholders to address global plastic pollution.

The report frames these opportunities in the context of the three ReSource: Plastic goals: eliminating unnecessary plastic, doubling global recycling and composting, and shifting to sustainable inputs for remaining plastic. Key calls to action for each goal are highlighted below.

Read the report

WWF Plastic Mapping – Transparent2020

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