"Plastic pollution is one of the major environmental challenges of our time, and tourism has an important role to play in contributing to the solution." -- UNEP’s Economy Division Director, Ligia Noronha.

Many businesses in the global tourism industry have been among the first to act against plastic pollution, which threatens their livelihoods by destroying the natural beauty upon which they rely. Firms have moved away from single-use plastics, reduced consumption of unnecessary plastics and organized and supported better recycling and reuse schemes. In January 2020, the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative was launched to bring the sector together under a common vision to transition to a circular plastic economy and sustainability. Developed by the Sustainable Tourism Programme of the One Planet Network, the Initiative is led by UNEP and the World Tourism Organization in collaboration with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Businesses that sign up to the Initiative have to make a number of pledges, including to eliminate problematic or unnecessary packaging and items by 2025 and to take action to move from single-use to re-use models or reusable alternatives by 2025.

"Addressing plastic pollution requires a fundamental system shift, from a linear to a circular economy for plastic, which is at the core of the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment. The 2019 Progress Report shows how leading businesses and governments are taking actions in such a systemic way, thus demonstrating this makes business and political sense. The benefits represent a huge opportunity and the concerted approach leaves no excuses not to act.” UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Launched in 2018, the Global Commitment works to eliminate the plastic we do not need, to innovate so that the plastic we do need is 100 percent reusable, recyclable or compostable, and to circulate all the plastic we use. It now includes over 400 signatories, including companies representing 20 percent of all plastic packaging produced globally. The Global Commitment’s first progress report was published in 2019 by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and UNEP and included pledges by companies to eliminate problematic plastic packaging and increase the use of recycled plastic in packaging more than five-fold by 2025, equivalent to keeping 25 million barrels of oil in the ground every year. On average around 60 per cent of business signatories’ plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable today, and they have committed to reach 100 percent by 2025. Government signatories, including France, Rwanda, the United Kingdom, and the cities of São Paulo (Brazil) and Austin (USA), are putting in place policy measures that include bans, public procurement, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes, fiscal measures, and incentives for research and development.

“The goal is to turn off the tap of plastic going into the water". Dune Ives, Executive Director of Lonely Whale.

In 2017, computer giant Dell and the nonprofit Lonely Whale created NextWave Plastics, an initiative for developing products made of ocean-bound plastic. The consortium of multinational technology and consumer brands includes Dell, HP, General Motors, Ikea, Herman Miller, Humanscale, Trek Bicycle, Interface, Solgaard, and Bureo. NextWave aims to divert a minimum of 25,000 tonnes of plastics, the equivalent of 1.2 billion single-use plastic water bottles, from entering the ocean by the end of 2025.