EcoPlum (asi/185835), a certified B Corp, is on a mission to end plastic pollution.

The New York City-based promotional products distributor was one of 85 organizations –including major brands like Ikea, PepsiCo, Unilever and Walmart – that joined the newly launched Business Coalition for a Global Plastics Treaty, convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

“As plastic pollution grows unchecked, there really is no time to waste, and EcoPlum is very pleased to help launch this effort with such distinguished, dedicated organizations,” said Gia Machlin, president and CEO of EcoPlum.

3M, parent company of Top 40 supplier 3M Promotional Markets (asi/91240), also joined the coalition. “This once-in-a-generation opportunity will tackle the plastic pollution crisis and accelerate the transition to a circular economy for plastics,” said Gayle Schueller, senior vice president and chief sustainability officer at 3M. She added that 3M is investing more than $1 billion over the next 20 years to support environmental goals, including reducing its use of virgin fossil-based plastic by 125 million pounds.

The new business collation kicked off in New York City earlier this month as part of the 14^th-annual Climate Week NYC. In the coming months, the coalition will engage with United Nations negotiators to take urgent, coordinated action on plastic pollution with a legally binding global treaty. Central to its efforts are moving toward a circular economy where plastic pollution and waste are eliminated, products and materials become resources or are retained in the economy at their highest value, and there’s a shift from extraction to regeneration of nature, according to the coalition. Negotiations will begin in November and finish by the end of 2024.

“Many companies and countries are already taking important steps to address plastic pollution, but voluntary action alone cannot reach the scale we need to urgently solve this crisis. An ambitious global plastics treaty is required,” said Rob Opsomer, executive lead for systemic initiatives at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. “Plastic can no longer be allowed to become waste or pollution.”

The coalition released a vision statement outlining its expectations and objectives. Among the salient points is the idea that “preventing plastic pollution is not just about improving waste management but rethinking what is in the marketplace and building solutions that prevent plastic waste from being created in the first place.”

Progress toward eliminating plastic waste must be made in three key areas, according to the coalition:

• Reduction of plastic production, focusing on plastics that have high-leakage rates, are short-lived or single-use, and/or are made with fossil-based virgin resources.
• Plastic items that cannot be eliminated should be kept in the economy at their highest value.
• Preventing and remediating micro-plastic pollution into the environment.

The coalition hopes to develop clear and consistent policy recommendations to build a circular economy for plastic and a legally binding treaty ending plastic pollution.

EcoPlum, which offers a Sustainable Swag line of promotional products, says it uses rigorous standards for ecological and social sustainability and believes transparency is essential. The distributor is a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) women-owned business enterprise and a Green America Gold Business. It’s also a member of the American Sustainable Business Council, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the Fair Labor Association and the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

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