Sustainable packaging manufacturer Smile Beverage Werks has joined the United States Plastics Pact, an initiative that aims to create a circular economy for plastics by 2025.
The US Plastics Pact seeks to do this through creating a national strategy applicable across all sectors, and was created in collaboration between The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund (WWF), under the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Plastic Pact Network.
According to Smile Beverage Werks, the initiative is the first pact of its kind in North America and will convene 100 businesses, retailers, not-for-profits, government agencies, and research institutions across the plastics value chain.
“Joining the US Plastics Pact will not only ensure Smile Beverage Werks stays true to its environmental mission as a Public Benefit Corporation, but also allow us to bolster strategic initiatives towards a circular economy for plastic and compostability in the US,” says Michael Sands, Co-Founder and CEO of Smile Beverage Werks.
“We take immense pride in this commitment and are looking forward to contributing in any and all ways that we can.”
Smile Beverage Werks and its house brand Smile Coffee Werks use a compostable coffee pod that is entirely plant-based. This enables users to throw the entire pod into a compost bin, removing the need for recycling infrastructure or for consumers to change their behaviour, says Smile Beverage Werks.
In joining the US Plastic Pact, Smile Beverage Werks has agreed to deliver on four goals.
These include defining a list of packaging that is considered problematic or unnecessary by 2021 and taking measures to eliminate them by 2025, using 100 per cent plastic that is reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025, undertaking ambitious actions to effectively recycle or compost 50 per cent of plastic packaging by 2025, and averaging 30 per cent recycled content or responsibly sourced, biobased content by 2025.
While the US pact has goals set by the existing global network of Plastic Pacts, it can still be tailored to meet the unique challenges and needs of the American market.
“Together through the US 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 US Pact will mobilise 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.”
Part of the US pact emphasises measurable change. As such, Smile Beverage Werks has committed to transparent, annual reporting that will be guided by WWF’s ReSource: Plastic Footprint Tracker. This is used to track progress against the four outlined goals.
For more information on Smile Beverage Werks, visit www.smilecoffeewerks.com or for more information on the US Plastics Pact, visit www.usplasticspact.org