Bethesda, Maryland, December 18 – RadTech—The UV+EB Technology Association has joined the U.S. Plastics Pact, a collaborative, solutions-driven initiative intended to drive significant systems change to create a path forward toward a circular economy for plastics in the United States by 2025. The first North American Pact of its kind, the U.S. Pact is a collaboration led by The Recycling Partnership, World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
In recognition of the imperative to realize a circular economy for plastics, the U.S. Pact is convening more than 80 brands, retailers, NGOs, and government agencies to bring one voice to U.S. packaging through coordinated initiatives and innovative solutions for rethinking products, packaging, and business models.
“We are eager to contribute to the U.S. Plastics Pact, bringing our technical expertise and innovative solutions to help create a circular economy for plastics,” says RadTech’s Sustainability Co-Chairs, David Biro, of Sun Chemical and Todd Fayne, of PepsiCo.
The U.S. Plastics Pact looks to define problematic or unnecessary packaging, working towards the increased use of reusable, recyclable, or compostable materials by 2025.
“Together through the U.S. Plastics Pact, we will ignite system change to accelerate progress toward a circular economy,” says Emily Tipaldo, Executive Director of the U.S. Plastics Pact. “The U.S. Pact will mobilize systemwide change through support for upstream innovation and a coordinated national strategy. This unified framework will enable members to fast-track progress toward our ambitious 2025 sustainability goals. Members’ full participation will be vital to reaching our shared goals.”
The first task of the members of the U.S. Plastics Pact will be to establish a “roadmap” in 2021 to identify key milestones and national solutions to achieving the U.S. targets and realize a circular economy in which plastic never becomes waste.
About RadTech North America
RadTech is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to the advancement of UV+EB technologies, providing users with energy savings, lower emissions of harmful substances, enhanced process control, and fast efficient throughput. UV+EB is used in a wide range of applications, including printing, packaging, wood and building products, electronics, and 3D printing/additive manufacturing. RadTech serves as an international forum and source of information for individuals and organizations involved in the use of UV+EB or the supply of equipment, chemicals, or other materials. Learn more at https://radtech.org.
About The Recycling Partnership
The Recycling Partnership is a national nonprofit organization that leverages corporate partner funding to transform recycling for good in states, cities, and communities nationwide. As the leading organization in the country that engages the full recycling supply chain from the corporations that manufacture products and packaging to local governments charged with recycling to industry end markets, haulers, material recovery facilities, and converters, The Recycling Partnership positively impacts recycling at every step in the process. Since 2014, the nonprofit change agent diverted 230 million pounds of new recyclables from landfills, saved 465 million gallons of water, avoided more than 250,000 metric tons of greenhouse gases, and drove significant reductions in targeted contamination rates. Learn more at www.recyclingpartnership.org
About World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
WWF is one of the world’s leading conservation organizations, working in nearly 100 countries for over half a century to help people and nature thrive. With the support of more than 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat the climate crisis. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more and keep up with the latest sustainability news by following @WWFBetterBiz on Twitter
About The Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 with the aim of accelerating the transition to the circular economy. Since its creation, the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, putting the circular economy on the agenda of decision-makers around the world. The charity’s work focuses on seven key areas: insight and analysis; business; institutions, governments, and cities; systemic initiatives; circular design; learning; and communications. Further information: www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org | @circulareconomy
About The New Plastics Economy and The Plastics Pact
Since 2016, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s New Plastics Economy initiative has rallied businesses and governments behind a positive vision of a circular economy for plastic. Its 2016 and 2017 New Plastics Economy reports captured worldwide headlines, revealing the financial and environmental costs of waste plastic and pollution.
The Plastics Pact is a global network of initiatives that brings together all key stakeholders at the national or regional level behind a common vision with a concrete set of ambitious local targets. It builds a unique platform to exchange learnings and best practices across regions to accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastic - a New Plastics Economy - in which it never becomes waste or pollution.
Further information: www.newplasticseconomy.org | @circulareconomy
Contact:
Mickey Fortune
RadTech - The Association for UV & EB Technology
(240) 643-0517
