Consumers Turn to Manufacturers for Action on Plastics

Over the weekend, a set of ambitious laws banning single-use plastics failed to pass in California's state legislature. The two bills on the legislators’ table would have planned to reduce 75 percent of plastic waste in the state within 10 years. Companies would have only been able to use plastics that were fully recyclable or compostable by 2030 if the laws went through.

Impacting both how manufactures and governments take on the issue of waste, the dual feature of the law gets at a central fissure in how global consumers think plastic waste should be dealt with. Half of the consumers surveyed across 24 different countries believe that manufacturers should act on plastic waste, according to Kantar. Only about a quarter of consumers felt that governments should step in and help. Just under a fifth of respondents put the need for action on themselves, the consumer, to act on plastic waste.

The laws and the Kantar survey come as companies sign on to other corporate social responsibility pacts to address plastic waste. Earlier this year, Coca-Cola released information to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation on how much plastic waste they produce. The release is part of a greater, industry-wide trend where companies are rolling out campaigns to reduce their plastic usage and waste.