The companies come from a wide variety of sectors, from financial services to insurance, real estate, consulting and printing.

The manifesto calls on organisations to commit to organisational changes to withdraw a range of plastic products, including cutlery, plates, straws, food and drink containers, bags, balloons, etc. By signing the agreement, the companies have pledged to support IMS Luxembourg, the organiser of the forum, to engage in discussions with suppliers in order to help identify sustainable alternatives where needed. A series of workshops took place at the end of 2018 and early 2019 during which IMS Luxembourg supported its network of companies by giving tips in three categories which can prove challenging when it comes to reducing plastic waste: office supplies, catering and events.

During Thursday’s forum, IMS Luxembourg director Nancy Thomas said that single-use plastic is a subject in which the organisation is “very active”, and she revealed statistics which helped lead to the creation of the manifesto. Since the 1950s, for example, over 9 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced, but today only 9% of plastic waste gets recycled. The equivalent of one garbage truck, in fact, is dumped into oceans around the world every minute. 

Hans Daems, chair of the board of CSR Europe and event speaker, provided examples of companies making strides in reducing their plastic waste. Coca-Cola, for example, has pledged by the year 2030 to increase its recycled plastic bottle content to 50% and recycle one used can or bottle for each one it sells. 

Another example cited by Daems was Canon which, already in 1990, established a committee to tackle environmental challenges and has focused on closed-loop recycling in its attempts to ensure zero waste reaches landfill.

To sign the manifesto or to read more about the programme, visit imslux.lu