Switzerland, November 29, 2022. Environmental Action (EA), a Switzerland-based research consultancy, along with waste management data platform PLASTEAX, announce the launch of the Plastic Footprint Network (PFN). Unifying the methodologies and perspectives of leading scientists, experts, and global practitioners, the PFN enables organizations to understand the full impact, or footprint, from the use of plastic in their companies, products, and services.
Microplastic contamination of the environment and plastic pollution are widely recognized global issues and plastic footprinting, the measurement of plastic leakage in the environment, is critical for effective pollution mitigation. The first plastic footprinting methodology was developed by EA and sustainability consultancy Quantis in 2020 under the Plastic Leak Project (PLP). Whereas Life Cycle Assessments, by design, are typically focused on evaluating the CO2 impact of products and operations, the addition of plastic leakage data from effective footprinting ensures a more complete view on a particular company or product’s contribution to plastic pollution.
« In the past two decades, increasing attention to mitigation of climate impacts has led many companies to expand usage of light-weight plastic in their products and packaging, but where their greenhouse gas emissions may have decreased, the plastic waste problem has dramatically increased. Manufacturers and brand owners now realize that their climate strategies must be complemented by a robust plastic pollution mitigation strategy, and that those two imperatives must be looked at together, not in silos,” explains Julien Boucher, founder and director of EA and co-founder of the PLASTEAX waste management data platform.
Ensuring that companies that use plastics in their value chain understand the impact and identify pollution hotspots, is key to scaling mitigation activities. As such, the goal of the PFN is to keep all practitioners aligned around 1) a standardized process for measuring plastic leakage and 2) ensuring the actionability of assessment results. Furthermore, assessing footprints supports informed decision making about eco-friendly product design and alignment with existing waste management infrastructure.
In addition to benefitting from a single, unified venue from which to source their data and metrics about plastic pollution, members of the Plastic Footprint Network will be supported in their efforts to measure and mitigate plastic pollution through a clear and regularly updated methodology divided into simplified modules, along with tutorials, webinars, and direct support from experts, consultancies and other network partners.
Leading companies have started assessing their plastic footprints to inform their strategies since the publication of the PLP methodology two years ago. The PFN will build and expand on these efforts by ensuring the methodology stays current and continues to integrate the latest science, becoming a standard for plastic pollution measurement and mitigation. Furthermore, the methodology will incorporate critical data about microplastics originating from often overlooked sources like textiles, tires, and paint. A robust Scientific Committee with the initial involvement of leading experts from EA, Quantis, Minderoo, South Pole, Systemiq, and WWF will ensure that the data quality and measurement guidelines are meaningful and actionable. Other consultancies and plastic pollution experts will join the Scientific Committee subgroups to ensure all sectors and specific topics benefit from relevant expertise in the field.
“With negotiations for an international, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution kicking off at the international negotiating committee (INC-1) this week in Uruguay, developing bold and ambitious plans to reduce plastic pollution is becoming a top priority for companies around the world. The very first step is assessing their plastic footprint and the PFN will provide the needed methodology and support to make this possible,” comments Sarah Perreard, stakeholder engagement lead at EA and co-founder of PLASTEAX.
The Plastic Footprint Network was founded with the support and involvement of environmental consultancies, plastic credit providers, plastic standard setters, business coalitions and brand owners including; Ampliphi, Evalueserve, the Green Digital Finance Alliance, MariLCA, Minderoo, The Ocean Race, Quantis, rePurpose Global, Seven Clean Seas, South Pole, Systemiq, Verra, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the World Economic Forum, WWF and several international brands owners.
“EA and PLASTEAX team members look forward to working with practitioners from all of these critical participants to reduce the negative impacts of plastic pollution on people and the planet.” comments Alexandre Boucher, senior analyst at EA and member of the Scientific Committee of the PFN.
The PFN is accessible at www.plasticfootprint.earth. It is now inviting further brand owners, retailers, e commerce businesses, to join the Network, and put science at the center of their decision making.
