The Canada Plastics Pact’s new report shows slow progress, but grounds for optimism

The Canada Plastics Pact (CPP) has released its 2023-24 Impact Report, providing an overview of the progress made by its partners in the third year of its mission to eliminate plastic waste and pollution in Canada. The report highlights achievements and progress in 2023, while also capturing the activities and initiatives undertaken in 2024.

The report underscores the unprecedented scale of collaboration within the Canadian plastics value chain and growing momentum of businesses and organizations to scale innovative solutions. 

"This report shows that we are making notable progress upstream, as CPP Signatories prioritize eliminating the plastics we don't need and innovating for the ones we do," says Cher Mereweather, managing director of the Canada Plastics Pact. "As our partnership grows and partners reaffirm their commitment to the pact, this diverse group of leaders and experts from across the plastics value chain remains focused on source reduction, designing for reuse and recyclability, supporting investment in infrastructure, and informing smart policy."

New ICI sector inclusion 

Based on the most current and reliable data available, in 2022 it is estimated that Canada generated 1.96 million metric tons of plastic packaging in deposit return systems (DRSs), residential systems, and industrial, commercial, and institutional (ICI) sectors. This increase in plastic packaging production compared to previous years reflects the inclusion of ICI sectors, providing a first-ever comprehensive understanding of plastic packaging flows at a national level.

As part of CPP's commitment to transparency, partners that join the pact have agreed to share annual data to measure progress toward the four targets outlined in the CPP's Roadmap to 2025.

Key metrics reported in the 2023-24 Impact Report include:

• Target 1: Define a list of plastic packaging that is to be designated as unnecessary or problematic and take measures to eliminate them.
• Progress:  Guidance Document to Support the Elimination of Unnecessary & Problematic Plastics released in April 2024.
• Progress:  In 2023, only four percent of CPP signatory partners still had 10 problematic items in their plastic packaging portfolio.

• Target 2:  Support efforts towards 100 percent of plastic packaging being designed to be reusable, recyclable, or compostable.
• Progress: In 2023, 50 percent of plastic packaging placed on the market by CPP partners was designed as reusable, recyclable, or compostable (a seven percent increase since 2022).

• Target 3: Undertake ambitious actions to ensure that at least 50 percent of plastic packaging is effectively recycled or composted.
• Progress: Based on the most current and reliable data available, the national recycling rate in deposit return, residential, and institutional, commercial, and industrial systems is estimated at 16 percent in 2022, with recycling rates for each waste stream as follows:  ICI Sectors: 11 percent, Residential Sector: 17 percent, and DRSs: 60 percent. The national plastic packaging recycling rate of 16 percent represents a four percent drop from the 20 percent reported in the 2022 Annual Report as a result of adding data from the ICI sectors, which historically have lower recycling rates.

• Target 4: Ensure an average of at least 30 percent recycled content across all plastic packaging (by weight).
• Update:  In 2023, the average amount of post-consumer recycled (PCR) content (by weight) across plastic packaging used by CPP Partners was 10 percent. This is a two percent decline in PCR use from CPP's 2022 Annual Report. While the report examines the factors behind this, it highlights challenges such as limited access to a sufficient supply of PCR and the higher cost of recycled content compared to virgin resin.

The CPP acknowledges that progress has been slower than anticipated. However, the achievements made thus far would not have been possible without large-scale collaboration. CPP recognizes both the challenges faced in meeting targets and the notable strengths and opportunities for collective action to a circular economy for plastics. While it's clear that there's still a long road ahead to achieve full plastics circularity, since the CPP's launch, more than 100 Partners are taking meaningful steps to eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastics, redesign packaging, and increase their use of recycled plastic. 

"We are now seeing the results of industry groundwork, supported by key players across the plastics value chain, driving actionable initiatives and scaling efforts to deliver measurable progress," says Catherine O'Brien, board chair and president of Canada Plastics Pact and senior vice president of corporate affairs at Nestlé Canada. "The data shows that while there's still work to be done to achieve our mission and vision, we are on the right track."

The next phase of the journey

The 2025 targets, adopted from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Global Commitment, provided a strong foundation, giving the pact's leaders valuable insights into what it takes to achieve a circular economy for plastics in Canada. Building on these insights, CPP will also adjust the next phase of its journey—Roadmap to 2035—to provide a clear path of what it will take to get to a circular economy for plastics in Canada.