HEJSupport participated in meetings organized by the Consumers International and UNEP aimed at providing comments and recommendations on on-package consumer communications about the sustainability of plastic packaging based on the report titled: “Can I Recycle This?” A Global Mapping and Assessment of Standards, Labels and Claims on Plastic Packaging . The report lists 5 global recommendations for targeted stakeholder groups on how they can improve consumer communications on plastic packaging, namely:
Businesses, particularly brand owners and retailers
Governments
Standard-setting bodies and labelling organisations
HEJSupport recommendations include inter alia:
1.Governments should develop a list of single use plastic for urgent phaseout instead of labeling them as recyclable as they are not;
2. The capacity of recycling and composting facilities should be increased to ensure the packaging labeled as compostable could really be composted in organic process facilities;
3. Plastic containing toxic additives should be well separated from the recycling system to avoid contamination of products made out of recycled plastic;
4. Overall the production of plastic packaging should be discontinued and substituted with reusable and recyclable toxic free alternatives.