Our thanks to Nourish Food Marketing for publishing this great article (excerpted below):
Recent developments in Canadian plastics regulations have introduced significant changes that marketers in mid- to large-size food companies need to know. Understanding regulatory changes around plastics will be essential for brands to align product packaging and marketing strategies with legal standards.
The complete changes can be found here, and will “require companies (including resin manufacturers, service providers, and producers of plastic products) to report annually on the quantity and types of plastic they manufacture, import, and place on the market.” They will also be required to report on the amount of plastic collected, diverted, reused, repaired, remanufactured, refurbished, recycled, processed into chemicals, composted, incinerated, and sent to landfill; and on the amount of plastic waste they generate on their businesses’ premises, be they commercial or industrial.
Nourish writers have managed to distill the information into three key points that are of paramount importance to marketers in mid- to large-size food companies:
- Canada’s five largest grocery chains have been targeted with pollution prevention notices, requiring them to implement Pollution Prevention Plans (P2 Plans) to manage the impact of plastics (particularly if they come into contact with food products) and making them de facto “plastics regulators.” P2 Plans “aim to drastically reduce or eliminate plastic waste from primary food packaging by the mid-2030s;” you can read more about them here.
- The regulations also introduce a Federal Plastics Registry and mandatory reporting obligations for anyone importing or manufacturing plastic materials. The registry is designed to build a comprehensive plastics database, that will offer Canadians greater transparency regarding the handling of plastics, from production to disposal. (Food brands should already be capturing 2024 information, with final figures due in September 2025.)
- Changes to recycling labelling rules are part of the regulations, and will require detailed recycling information on product packaging. This may require a QR code that gives consumers information about recycling in different regions – and quite possibly a package redesign to include all the required data.
These changes fit with Canada’s Zero Plastic Waste Agenda, but are not limited to this country; similar reviews have already happened in Italy and France, and the UK and US are developing and implementing plans within their borders.
Throughout this article, we’ve included links to various Government of Canada web pages that offer details about these initiatives; we recommend reading them thoroughly and contacting the Federal Plastics Registry directly with questions specific to your situation. And as always, follow this blog for pertinent updates.
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