Ocean Plastics Charter

Plain language summary

Plastic waste in the oceans is a global problem that requires global solutions. By adopting the Ocean Plastics Charter, Canada is committing to reduce its plastic waste. Canada launched the Charter at the June 2018 Leaders Summit in Charlevoix during its G7 presidency. Canada continues this leadership role by encouraging countries and companies to adopt the Charter and reduce their plastic waste.

Since its launch, more than 25 governments and 65 businesses and organisations have adopted this Charter. Partners are listed at the Ocean Plastics Charter website.

Objective

The Ocean Plastics Charter aims to bring together leading countries, sub-national governments, businesses, and civil society organizations to commit to a more resource efficient and sustainable approach to keep plastics in the economy, and out of the environment.

Key elements

By adopting the Charter, partners commit to take action, notably through policy measures on:

• sustainable design, production and after-use markets;
• collection and management systems and infrastructures;
• sustainable lifestyles and education;
• research, innovation and new technologies; and
• coastal and shoreline.

Expected results

The ultimate objective of the Charter is to ensure that plastics are designed for repair, reuse, recycling, and are recovered at end-of-life to prevent waste and pollution.

By working with industry and governments, partners notably aim to increase recycled content by at least 50% in plastic products; to recycle and reuse at least 55% of plastic packaging; and to move towards 100% reusable, recyclable, or recoverable plastics, by 2030. By 2040, parties aim to recover 100% of all plastics.

Partners are invited to report on their progress in implementing the Charter through their own reporting processes and mechanisms.

Canada’s involvement

The Ocean Plastics Charter is important for Canada because oceans play a critical role in regulating the global climate system and because their health, including the communities that depend on them, is at risk due to stressors such as climate change and marine plastic pollution.

In 2018, Canada committed CAD$100 million to achieve the objectives of the Charter, including:

• $65 million for plastic waste management and infrastructure in developing countries through the World Bank’s PROBLUE Fund;
• $20 million to support the G7 Innovation Challenge to Address Marine Plastic Litter, which supports new solutions and technologies worldwide that will address plastic waste at all stages of the lifecycle in developing countries; and
• $6 million for innovative private-public partnerships through the World Economic Forum’s Global Plastics Action Partnership to support national action plans in developing countries on marine litter and public waste.
• $9 million to support the development of inclusive and sustainable waste management systems in developing countries through the Incubator Network.

Domestically, the Government of Canada worked closely with provinces and territories under the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to develop a Canada-wide Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste (PDF). The Strategy was approved by CCME Ministers in November 2018. The first phase of the action plan to implement the Strategy was approved and Phase 2 of the action plan launched in June 2019. The Government of Canada is building scientific knowledge, strengthening standards and performance requirements for plastics; reducing plastic waste from federal operations, procurement and innovation by industry.

Results / progress

Activities

Since its launch in June 2018, the Charter has been at the centre of several events.

As a first step in meeting its Charter commitments, in September 2018, at the G7 Environment Ministerial Meeting in Halifax, Canada committed to reduce plastic waste from federal government operations by at least 75% by 2030.

In November 2018, during the Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, Canada and Kenya co-hosted a side event on Building the Global Momentum on Marine/Aquatic Plastics Litter to promote the Charter.

In March 2019, during the fourth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly, the two countries also co-organized a side event on Strengthening the Global Momentum to Tackle Plastic Pollution.

Reports

Reports will be developed as the Charter is implemented.

Results

First adopted by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the European Union after the G7 Charlevoix Summit in 2018, the Charter now has 25 governments and 65 company endorsees.

Charter endorsees are encouraged to implement the objectives and commitments in the Charter within their respective jurisdictions and area of influence.