185 investors demand approach to plastic crisis

A group of 185 investors with combined assets of $10 trillion, coordinated by the Association of Investors for Sustainable Development, is calling for drastic measures to address the plastic crisis. 

In a joint statement, they highlight the threat that the entire life cycle of plastic poses to the environment, climate, biodiversity, human health and human rights. The estimated costs of plastic pollution, including clean-up, ecosystem degradation and medical treatment, exceed $100 billion a year.

Financial risks

Companies that fail to address the impacts of plastic pollution face financial risks that threaten value creation and investment returns, according to the investors. For this reason, the investors call on companies to step up their efforts to combat the plastic crisis. Companies should reduce their reliance on plastic and scale up reusable packaging systems. Companies should also lend their public support to ambitious plastic reduction policies.

Key role food industry

Investors point out that companies in the food and consumer goods industry have a key role in making scalable change. Reducing the industry's reliance on plastics is an important part of the transition to more sustainable production and consumption. The investors ask companies to present an action plan with clearly defined timelines and make progress dependent on external verification.

Clear signal

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation - an organisation that brings together major plastic producers and users around common goals - companies are generally increasing their use of single-use plastic packaging, rather than reducing it, and are not showing credible and ambitious plans for reuse. Investors are thus sending a clear signal to companies that they will come under greater pressure if they do not take swift action to substantially reduce their plastic footprint.

Vbdo.nl