The India Plastics Pact is the latest in a growing community of Plastics Pacts around the globe looking to tackle the issues of plastic waste and find solutions that meet the scale of the challenge. Crucially they all share a common vision and are backed by business and government and are underpinned by measurable targets.
It is a significant moment for the region with the India Plastics Pact becoming the first of its kind on the Asia continent. It aims to be a catalyst for change, showing corporate and regional leadership on one of the pressing issues of our time.
Stakeholders including Indian businesses, NGOs, and government are uniting behind The Pact which aims to transform the entire plastics value chain through four ambitious and measurable targets.
Organisations signed up to the targets are aiming to remove unnecessary and problematic plastics, promote reuse, redesign, recycling of plastics and use of recycled plastics in packaging and products to create a circular economy for the material.
Global collaboration
The Pact has been developed by WWF India and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). WRAP is supporting The India Plastics Pact as strategic partners with funding by UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) and Stewart Investors.
The targets
- Define a list of unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging and items and take measures to address through redesign and innovation.
- 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable or recyclable.
- 50% of plastic packaging to be effectively recycled.
- 25% average recycled content across all plastic packaging.
Launched in September 2021, there will be further details on the India Plastics Pact as WRAP, the partners and signatories start the hard work of delivery against the targets.
WRAP's role
WRAP is a strategic partner to the India Plastics Pact, bringing operational and technical expertise to help deliver impact. During 2020 and 2021 we have been working with partners to set up and launch the India Plastics Pact and will be working for several more years to support, collaborate and learn from their pioneering work in the region.
Our support package consists of:
- supporting the set-up of the Pact;
- helping the development of an industry Roadmap to achieve the targets;
- securing funding for development of innovation projects;
- sharing expertise in data reporting and monitoring;
- communications support; and
- knowledge sharing between Pacts internationally.
"It is hugely significant to have such a strategically important force in the region and on the global stage on board with its own Plastics Pact. The potential environmental and economic benefits to be gleaned from achieving the Pact’s ambitious goals are enormous for India."
Marcus Gover, CEO, WRAP