The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) has joined the Canada Plastics Pact.
"SWANA is thrilled to join forces with the Canada Plastics Pact in our shared commitment to prevent plastic waste. As an organization dedicated to supporting resource management to drive sustainable practices, this partnership reinforces our commitment to being climate champions," said SWANA Executive Director and CEO Amy Lestition Burke, MA, FASAE, CAE.
Launched in 2021, the Canada Plastics Pact is leading Canada's response to the escalating plastic crisis. It exists to eliminate plastic waste by accelerating and scaling the solutions that will keep plastics in the economy and out of people, animals, and nature.
Through fostering innovation and collaboration, more than 100 partners from across the plastics value chain are taking meaningful steps to eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastics, redesign packaging, and increase their use of recycled plastic.
Cher Mereweather, managing director of the Canada Plastics Pact, welcomed SWANA to the pact.
"To eliminate plastic waste and pollution, we need a holistic strategy that includes both upstream and downstream solutions. These new partnerships allow us to better address unnecessary and problematic plastics by providing reusable or refillable alternatives where it makes sense and designing the plastics we do need to be easily recyclable," said Mereweather.
SWANA is a collective of over 10,000 dedicated professionals from both the public and private sectors. The association's mission is to propel the transition from solid waste management to resource management, uniting around the pillars of education, advocacy, safety, and research.
"Our members provide critical roles in collecting and processing plastics to enable recycling and to prevent plastic pollution. We are building connections to support designing for recycling, strengthening demand for recycled content, and supporting critical infrastructure," Lestition Burke said.
Various initiatives have been underway to address the opportunities and challenges to enacting systems change, such as forming strategic working groups that bring together the key stakeholders to tackle the issues around plastic waste and pollution. The CPP's guidance documents, driven by the collective expertise of the pact partners within its working groups, are a critical tool that supports the implementation of change in partner operations, by sharing knowledge and innovative solutions.
"Together with CPP, we're poised to make significant strides in advancing a circular economy and mitigating the environmental impacts of plastic pollution," Lestition Burke, said.
SWANA is now a proud member of both the Canada Plastics Pact and the US Plastics Pact. By joining forces with other like-minded organizations, SWANA can continue to propel the industry forward and achieve sustainability goals.
