On the heels of the plastic pollution-focused "World Environment Day" and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, Nairobi / Kenya; www.unep.org) concurrently releasing its report on single-use plastics – see Plasteurope.com of 07.06.2018 – plastic litter was a topic for the G7 summit in Charlevoix, Québec / Canada too. Under the "Charlevoix Blueprint for Healthy Oceans, Seas and Resilient Coastal Communities", the G7 has included an "Ocean Plastics Charter" annex. In the report, the group recognises plastics as "one of the most revolutionary inventions of the past century" and the important role these materials play in our economy and lifestyles. It also supports collaboration with the UNEP to facilitate work on the harmonisation of monitoring methodologies for marine litter and research on its impacts.

Five of the G7 countries as well as the EU supported the charter, with the US and Japan declining to sign it. Canada, the EU, France, Germany, Italy and the UK have agreed upon five commitments. These are for sustainable design, production and after-use markets; collection, management and other systems; sustainable lifestyles and education; research and innovation as well as coastal and shoreline action. The group would also like to accelerate the implementation of the G7's 2015 "Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter" – see Plasteurope.com of 18.06.2015.

Following the G7's announcement to tackle ocean plastics pollution, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF, Cowes / UK; www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org) has also announced its intention to form a coalition of leaders from around the world to create a circular economy for plastics. Ellen MacArthur and UN Environment executive director Erik Solheim are calling for businesses and governments to get involved in the coalition, which will comprise a set of commitments for reducing plastics waste. Signatories and the details of the commitments will be unveiled later in 2018.

Thirteen companies have already worked with the EMF and its "New Plastics Economy" initiative – see Plasteurope.com of 25.01.2017 – to target 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable plastic packaging by 2025. The global companies are Amcor, Colgate-Palmolive, Danone/Evian, Ecover, L'Oreal, Mars, Marks & Spencer, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Walmart and Werner & Mertz.