Personal care giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has announced its commitment to eradicating plastic waste by signing the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.
To coincide with the initiative, J&J is also committing to using more recycled materials in packaging, reducing reliance on the single-use model and ensuring that 100% of plastic packaging will be reusable, recycle or compostable by 2025.
The project has also been backed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the UN Environment Programme and other industry-leading companies, governments and NGOs.
Alison Lewis, Global Chief Marketing Officer for J&J, said: “We are embracing the issue of packaging reform as both a challenge to do better and an opportunity to do good.
“We believe this initiative can be a powerful catalyst for driving meaningful changes in our behaviour as a company - as well as the behaviour of consumers themselves.”
Meanwhile, Paulette Frank, VP for Environmental Health, Safety & Sustainability at J&J, added: “With this decision to accelerate our sustainability goals, Johnson & Johnson Consumers is acknowledging the ever-increasing urgency of the issue of plastic waste - and our own responsibility to work towards innovative solutions.”
According to a report issued by the World Economic Forum, only 14% of plastic packaging is collected for recycling, 40 years after the launch of the first universally recognised recycling symbol.
Today, 19 billion pounds of plastic is deposited into the ocean every year, and that number is expected to double by 2025.
