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New Plastics Economy initiative

Continuing its industry-leading sustainability mission, Internet Fusion joins the UK Government and more than 250 other businesses in signing the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment.

Led by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in collaboration with the UN Environment, the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment unites 250 of the biggest packaging producers, brands and retailers behind one common vision - to eradicate plastic waste and pollution.

Seen as one of the most significant environmental crises of our time, researchers estimate that more than 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic has been produced since the 1950s – with around 60% of plastic ending up in landfill or the natural environment. If current trends continue, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish within the next 30 years.

The plastics crisis has captured the attention of people around the world, with pioneering programmes such as the BBC’s Blue Planet II highlighting the devastating effects of plastic pollution in the natural environment. With a heightened public awareness surrounding this existential problem, now is the time for Internet Fusion to continue driving its’ sustainability programme forward, together with the New Plastics Economy.

The Global Commitment aims to create a ‘new normal’ for plastic packaging, with a focus on eliminating unnecessary and problematic plastics a core aspect of the initiative. At the heart of the Global Commitment is a vision of a circular economy for plastics, where they will never become waste. As part of the initiative, Internet Fusion is committed to achieving this vision through the following targets; aiming to be well ahead of the deadline set by the foundation of 2025:

• - Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging through re-design, innovation and new delivery models
• - Move away from single-use to reuse packaging models
• - Ensure 100% of plastic packaging can be easily and safely reused, recycled or composted

Dame Ellen MacArthur, Founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, said: “We know that cleaning up plastics from our beaches and oceans is vital, but this does not stop the tide of plastic entering the oceans each year. We need to move upstream to the source of the flow. The New Plastics Economy Global Commitment draws a line in the sand, with businesses, governments and others around the world uniting behind a clear vision for what we need to create a circular economy for plastic. This is just one step on what will be a challenging journey, but one which can lead to huge benefits for society, the economy and the environment.”

Internet Fusion is already leading the way towards a plastic free future. Through innovative packaging designs that are implemented by the businesses across the Group, 91% of all packaging (by weight) is plastic free.

Internet Fusion has also launched its new warehouse delivery policy, acting as a best practice guide for the group’s 750+ brands to tackle the plastic they send in deliveries. The aim of implementing this delivery policy is to limit and eventually eliminate all non-recyclable and non-biodegradable packaging from Internet Fusion’s processes. A unique policy that is the first of its kind, Internet Fusion hopes that this will have a knock-on effect within the industry and encourage sweeping changes across the board.

To continue to drive momentum surrounding the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, Internet Fusion will be publishing data annually on the Group’s progress towards completely eliminating plastic waste from its operations.