Mexico City — Mexican legislators, industrialists, retail and civic groups have signed an agreement to collect and recycle or make compostable up to 80% of all PET and 45% of all packaging plastics produced in the country by 2030.
Anipac, the national plastics industry association, said the deal "puts Mexico at the vanguard" of plastics recycling on the American continent. The targets are "similar to those set by the European Union," it added in a statement. Anipac stands for Asociación Nacional de Industrias del Plástico AC.
Known as the National Agreement for the New Plastics Economy in Mexico (Acuerdo Nacional para la Nueva Economía del Plástico en México), the deal was signed 5 Dec in the Mexican Senate.
The 50-plus signatories include all of Mexico's most important industry associations, among them Anipac, chemistry industry association Aniq (Asociación Nacional de la Industria Química AC) and major bag making body Inboplast (Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Embalajes y Bolsas Plásticas AC).
They committed to the following targets by 2025:
● 70% of all PET to be recovered.
● 30% of all other plastics to be recovered.
● All new plastics products to contain 20% of recycled material.
By 2030 the goal is:
● 100% of all reusable plastics packaging and bottles to be recycled or to contain biodegradable material.
● 80% of all PET to be recovered.
● 45% of all other plastics to be recovered.
● 30% of all new plastics products to contain recycled material.
Major companies that signed include Mexican food grade recycler PetStar SAPI de CV, which is part of Industria Mexicana de Coca-Cola (IMCC), Walmart de México y Centroamérica SAB de CV, Nestlé México SA de CV and Braskem Idesa SAPI.
Jaime Cámara Creixell, PetStar's founder and managing director, said the plan's introduction is "just the first step" as Mexico confronts the root cause of the environmental challenge posed by plastic garbage.
He told Plastics News that that other companies and organisations will join the fight.
"There's no other way. We all have to work together — the private and public sectors, social organisations and academics — if we are to achieve our goals by 2030," he said.