Global consumer brands including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever and TOMRA have endorsed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s (EMF) five-year “2030 Plastics Agenda for Business”, a plan aimed at speeding the shift to a circular economy for plastics and cutting plastic packaging waste worldwide.
The agenda centres on three actions: collective advocacy for ambitious policy, collaborative programmes to share costs and risks, and company-level measures to transform markets.
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The announcement comes as industry groups renew calls for stronger rules following recent UN talks on a global plastic pollution treaty.
Who is backing the 2030 plastics agenda
EMF lists multiple multinational companies involved in its plastics initiatives.
Nestlé is a Strategic Partner and a long-standing signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment; PepsiCo and Unilever are cited as Core Partners in EMF’s New Plastics Economy and are Global Commitment signatories; TOMRA has joined businesses backing the 2030 Plastics Agenda.
The Coca-Cola Company, L’Oréal, Mars, SC Johnson, Danone and Walmart are also recorded by EMF and partner organisations as participants in the foundation’s plastics work and the Global Commitment framework.
What the plan asks of business and policymakers
The 2030 Plastics Agenda urges companies to advocate for harmonised, enforceable rules that support waste prevention, reuse and refill systems, extended producer responsibility (EPR) and deposit return schemes (DRS) at scale—policies widely viewed as essential to reduce single-use plastics and increase high-quality recycling.
Corporate backers say consistent regulation is needed to unlock investment and deliver circular packaging infrastructure globally, a position aligned with earlier business calls for a robust, legally binding plastic pollution treaty.
Industry progress and remaining gaps
EMF and the UN Environment Programme launched the Global Commitment in 2018 to drive measurable change across plastic packaging.
Signatories—covering a significant share of global plastic packaging—have reported rising recycled content use and a shift away from problematic formats, but progress is uneven and scrutiny of delivery remains high.
Analysts and campaigners continue to press for verifiable outcomes, production reduction where necessary, and clearer timelines to scale reuse.
Why this matters for packaging value chains
For converters, brands and retailers, the agenda signals a nearer-term policy push and expanding collaboration on design-for-circularity, recycled content procurement and reuse pilots.
For waste management and recycling operators, it points to growing demand for high-quality secondary materials and deposit-return logistics.
With treaty negotiations ongoing, the packaging sector faces mounting expectations to align product design, data reporting and investment with a circular economy for plastics—keywords shaping procurement and compliance decisions in 2025.
