Clear on Plastics campaign launched by WRAP

The campaign has been launched by WRAP, the sustainability not-for-profit, and is supported by the UK Plastics Pact, including Ecosurety who have been a Pact member since 2018. The purpose of the campaign is to give consumers clear information and knowledge to make the right decisions in regard to plastic packaging. It stems from the belief that before we can change the behaviours of citizens, they need to be armed with information to make informed decisions.

Clear on Plastics will be a social media led campaign amplified by influencer content and the support of UK Plastics Pact members, Pact supporters and other partners such as Local Authorities. Driving the campaign will be a series of new channels including a citizen-facing website and social media channel.

Complex and often misunderstood

The facts surrounding plastics are complex and often misunderstood. For example, making a knee-jerk reaction and switching from plastics to other materials, such as glass or metal, is not necessarily the best option when considering the overall environmental impact. As such, the Clear on Plastics campaign targets those citizens who are concerned about the environment and who are already taking steps to use plastics in the most sustainable way, even if they are confused about what the right actions are.

The campaign plans to tackle common Frequently Asked Questions, such as:

• Why can't we just ban all plastic packaging?
• Why can't we replace plastic with other materials?
• What about bio-plastics, biodegradable and compostable plastics?
• Is recycling just an excuse to carry on producing more plastic?
• Brands, retailers and plastic producers aren't doing enough

For example, in response to the common frustration "I'm worried that my recycling just isn't worth it", the campaign responds:

"We’ve gone from recycling no plastic packaging to 44% of plastic packaging in just 10 years. It is currently the best way of turning materials back into something useful and avoiding our waste ending up in landfill or being burnt. 

The UK recycling system isn’t perfect. It’s difficult for us to recycle some types of plastic but there is a huge amount of work being done to improve UK recycling infrastructure. We need to continue this momentum for the environment and the economy. Plastic is a valuable resource that we need to keep in use, and out of our natural world.

If we don’t recycle plastic, it will end up in landfill, be burnt, or, worst case, end up in the natural environment."

An evolving campaign

Through social listening and input from members of the UK Plastics Pact, the social media based campaign will respond to emerging questions to address new concerns.

The campaign can be followed on Twitter and Instagram using the @Clearonplastics handles and the #Clearonplastics hashtag. It also has a dedicated website www.clearonplastics.com.

 

If you have any questions about supporting the campaign, please contact clearonplastics@wrap.org.uk.

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