Burberry and H&M among brands pledging to reduce plastic pollution

Burberry, H&M and Stella McCartney have joined the British and Chilean governments, amongst others, by signing the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

Spearheaded by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UN Environment, the pact to “eradicate plastic waste and pollution at the source”, comprises of three targets for brands, governments and non-profit organisations.

All committed parties must eliminate single use and unnecessary plastic packaging from their entire business model.

They must also be proactive at recycling and reusing existing plastics in circulation, as well as innovating new methods to reduce plastic waste.

Targets will be reviewed every 18 months and progress in each area must be published annually.

One of the first major objectives is to create “a new normal” for plastic packaging and to ensure 100 per cent of plastic packaging can be safely recycled by 2025.

"We know that cleaning up plastics from our beaches and oceans is vital, but this does not stop the tide of plastic entering the oceans each year," said Dame Ellen MacArthur.

"We need to move upstream to the source of the flow. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment draws a line in the sand, with businesses, governments and others around the world uniting behind a clear vision for what we need to create a circular economy for plastic."

The statistic that there will be more waste plastic in the sea than fish by 2050 is a driving force and has resonated with brands in the fashion industry who have pledged their commitment.

L'Oréal, Johnson & Johnson and Unilever have also signed up.