Calling for policy change
what we’ve been up to in 2024
Read about our work calling for legislative change to take action on plastic pollution!
At City to Sea, we have a history of calling for policy change through our campaigns and advocacy work – with record successes, like our Cut the Cutlery campaign, thanks to you all! However, single-use plastic packaging is STILL the largest culprit for plastic pollution in the UK, with homes throwing away almost TWO BILLION pieces of plastic packaging each week.
We know that people are ready to adopt refill and reuse, but they can’t find alternatives to single-use where they shop. So, we made it our priority to be the voice of the people and engage with policy makers and local authorities to show that people care and demand them to act now.
Read below what we’ve been up to this year so far, and how you can get involved too!
PEOPLE DEMAND ACTION NOW
When we set our goals for 2024, it was clear to us that calling for tangible legislative actions to tackle the plastic crisis should be central. Our recent survey showed that 76% of people in the UK agree it should be a government priority to tackle plastic pollution.
People are increasingly worried about the amount of single-use plastic that comes in their weekly shop, raising from 75% of people to 83% in 3 years.
We know that the time for action on the plastic crisis is NOW.
WHY GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION IS NEEDED
We know all too well that voluntary commitments for reducing waste are not working.
After years, of campaigning, of innovation and pilots, and after consumers calling for change, we’re still no further ahead than we were years ago – the percentage of reusable packaging is still less than 2% of the market.
For businesses to effectively navigate this transition, legislation facilitated by government intervention, is crucial.
In simple terms, this means
- Setting time-bound targets – to reduce single-use and encourage reusable and refillable practices within a set timeframe, so that industry partners can all work toward the same deadline.
- Mandating legally-binding targets – to set industry-wide standards that moves the sector, as a whole, away from its current reliance of single-use plastics.
- A fair and consistent environment for all enterprises – ensuring that the burden of sustainable practices is distributed across all players within different industries.
The transition to refill and reuse to stop plastic pollution isn’t in question – it is a matter of when, not if. We need governments to act, now.
WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO THIS YEAR SO FAR
The Reuse Manifesto
In February 2024, we published City to Sea’s Reuse Manifesto capturing the key policy asks we need to see bring systems change.
Our asks to government include:
- Introducing an “all-in” Deposit Return System (DRS) – where the infrastructure can and should be used to incentivise a refill and reuse system. Want to learn more about DRS? Click here to read more about it in our article.
- Completely ban single-use packaging when sensible to do so, like for fruit and vegetable packaging in supermarkets, and in dine-in settings such as restaurants, cafes and bars when people eat-in.
- Set legally-binding targets for reusable packaging – to increase the market share of refill and reuse. We’re calling for clear time-bound targets, for 30% of all packaging to be reusable by 2030, and 5% by 2026.
- Roll out an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) – We want to see the basic principle that “the polluter pays” enacted into law.
- Support a legally-binding Global Plastics Treaty
- Introduce a cap and reduction on UK plastic production
An Open Letter for refill and reuse
As part of our Global Day of Action for World Refill Day, we engaged with MPs and policy makers around a call for international policy change to prioritise the transition from single-use to reuse ahead of the general election.
We wrote an open letter calling for a commitment to refill and reuse, asking political parties to set legally-binding, time-bound targets to accelerate the transition to reuse in the UK and to support a robust Global Plastics Treaty.
Over 40 NGOs, businesses and celebrities supported and signed the open letter. Along with some of our key partners and collaborators, we (quite literally!) stepped up for reuse and delivered our open letter in person to the headquarters of The Liberal Democrats, The Conservatives and The Labour Party ahead of the election.
Inspiring people to write to their MPs
We created a digital toolkit with training resources and email templates accessible to everyone to call for policy change with their local candidate during the general elections.
Grass-root campaign like this is at the very heart of what we do, and 12 local MPs/candidates engaged positively to our call, with 5 pledging supports, and many local boroughs and councils pledged their support for legally-binding targets for reusable packaging.
Take single-use off the menu!
We launched our petition to ban single-use packaging for dining setting in cafes, restaurants and bar with more than 20 seats. This is already law in neighbouring countries like France, where it has been estimated that they are saving 180,000 tonnes of packaging every year!
We’re calling for similar legislation to ban single-use packaging when eating in here in the UK.
WHAT’S NEXT? We’re taking our policy asks all the way to parliament!
A new government is in place with some MPs making their first steps into the House of Commons. It is a unique opportunity to put refill and reuse at the top of the agenda and make a start on tackling plastic pollution. City to Sea is holding a parliamentary reception in Westminster to showcase how the UK can lead that transition for the benefit of people, businesses and the planet.
We’re bringing together policy makers, NGOs, and industry leaders to present our clear roadmap to reuse, to highlight our policy asks in easy 3 steps, and to showcase the practical solutions needed to encourage both behaviour and system change. Every step count in our journey towards real change to make plastic pollution a thing of the past.
Want to get involved and make sure that your local MP is tackling the plastic crisis? Visit our ready-to-use template to write to your MP, ask them to join this event and show that they hear the concern of their constituents.
Campaign Wins
In 2018 nearly 250,000 people backed our call to implement a plastic tax at the point of sale.
In 2021 we launched our #CutTheCutlery campaign. Over 118,000 backed our petition and 50,000 responded to the consultation that saw single-use cutlery plates and bowls banned in England.
After 150,000 backed our call for retailers to #SwitchTheStick all major supermarkets stopped stocking single-use cotton bud sticks. A few years later and government banned then entirely.
GET THE LATEST FROM OUR POLITICAL ADVOCACY CAMPAIGNS
Single Use Plastic Ban in Dine-in Settings
Earlier this month, we launched a new petition calling for a complete ban on ALL single-use packaging in eat-in settings like restaurants, cafes and bars.
A Global Plastics Treaty edges closer
The third round of negotiations (INC-3) for a Global Plastics Treaty are now closed. Read on to see what was discussed, and what’s next.
Single-use Plastic Ban Finally Comes into Force
Single-use plastic ban FINALLY comes into forceWith a ban on some of the most polluting single-use plastics due to come in on the 1st October, City to Sea’s Policy Manager looks at how we reached this ban and what it will mean going forward. The final straw Way back...