Several of the world’s leading consumer goods companies — including Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever — have endorsed the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF)’s new five-year action plan designed to transform how plastics are produced, used and reused globally.
The plan, titled “The 2030 Plastics Agenda for Business”, provides a coordinated framework for businesses to accelerate the shift towards a circular economy for plastics. It urges companies to move beyond individual commitments and collaborate through shared advocacy, collective investment and joint innovation to tackle systemic barriers in plastic waste management.
The 2030 Plastics Agenda focuses on three pillars:
- Joint advocacy to support stronger and more consistent public policy.
- Shared innovation to overcome technological and market challenges.
- Internal transformation within companies to influence broader industry change.
The EMF emphasised that businesses taking early, coordinated action will be better positioned to shape future regulations, reduce transition costs and drive innovation across global value chains.
“Many business leaders ask me what comes next. My answer is simple: don’t wait,” said Rob Opsomer, the EMF’s Executive Lead for Plastics and Finance. “The companies that act now can help shape effective policies and make circular solutions the new normal. By working together, they’ll cut transition costs and build resilience in a fast-changing world.”
The new agenda builds on over a decade of progress under the Global Commitment on Plastics, launched in 2018 by the EMF and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Companies representing roughly 20% of the global plastic packaging market — including Amcor, Borealis, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, L’Oréal, Nestlé, SC Johnson, PepsiCo and Unilever — have joined the effort.
Together, these businesses have avoided 14 million tonnes of virgin plastics, tripled their use of recycled materials, and eliminated billions of unnecessary packaging items. Yet, the Foundation warns that 80% of the market has yet to act, and even committed companies face shared challenges such as scaling reuse systems, managing flexible packaging waste, and expanding collection and recycling infrastructure.
The 2030 Plastics Agenda calls for stronger government policies, wider adoption of proven circular models, and cross-sector collaboration. Alongside the Global Commitment, over 700 businesses are already participating in Plastics Pacts across multiple countries, and more than 300 organisations are supporting efforts towards a global treaty to end plastic pollution.
However, negotiations on the treaty remain stalled as nations debate its scope and enforcement mechanisms. The EMF warned that the next 12 months will be pivotal in shaping the treaty and accelerating global cooperation.
Research cited by the Foundation estimates that 225 million tonnes of plastic waste will be generated worldwide this year — but only 68% can currently be managed responsibly. The remaining 72 million tonnes are likely to end up as pollution through burning, dumping or littering.
The EMF’s new agenda sets a clear direction for business leadership in tackling the global plastics crisis, calling on more companies to join collective efforts to make the circular economy for plastics a global reality.
