The United NationsEnvironment Assembly's (UNEA) planned global pact on plastic may act as a further disruptor and con-solidator of efforts to address plastic packaging in the dairy industry. The legally binding agreement, which UN member states agreed would be concluded by 2024, according to a March 2022 announcement, aims to facilitate an end to plastic pollution by addressing the lifecycle of plastic, from design and production to disposal. The news has been welcomed by many in the dairy sector, including multinationals Danone and Unilever.Before the announcement, Danone had already signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, a voluntary agreement by some 1,000 organisations to meet targets for a circular economy for plastic by 2025. Emmanuel Faber, former chairman and CEO of Danone, says the commitment plays "a critical role in aligning governments, industries, civil society and finance around a set of common ambitions and objectives."Richard Slater, chief RD officer at Unilever, describes the UNEA move as "a landmark decision by UN member states," adding that tackling plastic pollution is "a catalyst for innovation and reflects what our consumers water: less plastic waste."Indeed, 82 per cent of consumers prefer products that use as little plastic packaging as possible, according to a 2021 Ipsos survey of 20,513 adults in 28 countries. Moreover, 85 per cent of respondents said they want manufacturers and retailers to be held responsible for reducing, reusing and recycling plastic packaging, while 88 per cent said a global plastic treaty would help effectively reduce plastic pollution.1But despite consumers' interest in tackling plastic, a 2019 study in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances showed 91 per cent of plastics globally was still not recycled.
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