UK Plastics Pact
A voluntary agreement between businesses, government, and NGOs to transform the UK plastics packaging system. Targets include making all plastic packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable by 2025.
The UK Plastics Pact is a collaborative initiative led by WRAP bringing together businesses, government, and civil society to tackle plastic packaging waste.
UK Plastics Pact targets:
- Eliminate problematic or unnecessary single-use plastic packaging
- Make 100% of plastic packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable
- Achieve 70% of plastic packaging effectively recycled or composted
- Reach 30% average recycled content across all plastic packaging
Membership includes major retailers, brands, packaging manufacturers, and waste management companies. The Pact complements regulatory requirements — its voluntary targets often go beyond legal obligations. Member businesses report annually on progress. The Pact has driven significant changes including the phasing out of problematic plastics, adoption of clear PET, and development of front-of-store collection for flexible packaging. For non-member producers, the Pact's targets indicate the direction of industry travel and likely future regulation.
Related Terms
Plastic Packaging
Packaging made from polymeric materials including PET, HDPE, PP, LDPE, PS, and P...
Recyclability
The practical ability of a packaging item to be collected, sorted, and reprocess...
Recycled Content
The proportion of a packaging item made from previously recycled materials rathe...
WRAP
The Waste and Resources Action Programme — a charity working with governments, b...
Compostable Packaging
Packaging designed to break down in industrial or home composting conditions wit...
More organisations Terms
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