OTTAWA, April 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canada Plastics Pact has released guidance that will support Canadian businesses in adjusting packaging design to contribute to a circular economy for plastics packaging. Tailored to Canadian businesses that are implementing the Golden Design Rules for plastics packaging, this context-specific guidance is publicly available through a new microsite.
Leading Canadian organizations are united on the vision for a circular economy in plastic packaging. 30 Canadian companies, including 20 Canada Plastics Pact Partners, have already signed on to 50% or more of the Golden Design Rules. This is a growing network of Canadian organizations that are voluntarily choosing to commit to the individual Golden Design Rules that are most relevant to their packaging portfolios.
The Golden Design Rules for Plastic Packaging were developed by The Consumer Goods Forum’s Plastic Waste Coalition of Action, and they outline specific design changes aligned with globally recognized technical guidelines and targets laid out in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. In Canada, the implementation of the Golden Design Rules is being led by the Canada Plastics Pact, which is part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Plastics Pact Network.
The nine Golden Design Rules are voluntary, independent, and time-bound commitments which provide a clear framework to drive innovation and scalable actions that will result in less plastic packaging overall and easier to recycle plastic packaging by 2025.
The Golden Design Rules address a root cause of why plastic packaging ends up in nature: the complexity of plastic recycling. Plastic recycling is complicated by poor packaging design, the inclusion of problematic materials, the presence of excess packaging, and the low commercial value of post-consumer recycled content.
It is clear that plastic waste is no longer viable: the future of plastics is circular. Creating a circular economy for plastics packaging requires systems change and an unprecedented level of collaboration from all parts of the plastics value chain. Canada Plastics Pact is facilitating this collaboration, and the new Canadian guidance for the Golden Design Rules reflects Canada Plastics Pact’s role as a key platform for plastics action in Canada.
Media resources:
- Golden Design Rules microsite
- GDR Canadian Guidance
- Quote Sheet: Quotes from endorsing and participating organizations
- The nine Golden Design Rules, as outlined by the Consumer Goods Forum
Media Inquiries:
To arrange an interview with Sarah Brooks, Senior Associate at The Natural Step Canada, and Special Advisor, Circular Economy Systems Transitions, or a CPP Partner spokesperson, please contact:
Marion Davies
Communications and Events Officer
Smart Prosperity Institute, a Partner of the Canada Plastics Pact
About the Canada Plastics Pact:
The Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) is tackling plastic waste and pollution, as a multi-stakeholder, industry-led, cross-value chain collaboration platform. The CPP brings together over 85 companies, governments, and organizations across the plastics value chain who are united behind a vision of creating a circular economy in Canada in which plastic waste is kept in the economy and out of the environment. It unites businesses, government, non-governmental organizations, and other key actors in the local plastics value chain behind clear actionable targets for 2025.
The CPP is a member of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Global Plastics Pact network. It operates as an independent initiative of The Natural Step Canada, a national charity with over 25 years’ experience advancing science, innovation, and strategic leadership aimed at fostering a strong and inclusive economy that thrives within nature’s limits.
Further information: www.plasticspact.ca | @CanadaPact
