Earlier this month, the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) in conjunction with a group of leading bottled water and soft drink manufacturers launched a report at the House of Commons, which sets out an ambitious plan to eliminate plastic packaging waste from the bottled water and soft drinks value chain by 2030.
The report sets out key actions and aspirations to make eliminating plastic packaging waste a strategic priority. These include:
- Producers to commit to all bottled water and soft drinks packaging to be made from 100% recyclable or reusable material and aim for at least 70% recycled material by 2025
- Producers and government to investigate the optimal material of the future for bottled water and soft drinks that eliminates plastic waste while ensuring the lowest overall environmental impact
- Producers and Government to undertake research into consumer behaviour to support recycling ambitions towards achieving a ‘circular economy’ for bottled water and soft drinks packaging
- Government to create a consistent nationwide recycling system, and reinvest revenue from new policies into UK recycling, sorting and reprocessing capacity