WPP phases out single-use plastics

It will no longer buy or provide single-use plastics such as bottles, straws, cutlery and cups and it will make it easier for people to recycle their own plastic materials at work.

WPP has signed the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, led jointly by UN Environment and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, thereby endorsing the vision of a circular economy for plastic in which it is designed never to become waste or pollution.

Other companies signing up to the committment include Colgate-Palmolive, Danone, Johnson & Johnson, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, SC Johnson, The Coca-Cola Company and Unilever.

WPP held an internal summit in May which brought together people from across the company’s agencies to discuss how to reduce the impact of plastic on the planet, from redesigning products, packaging and experiences to creating closed-loop systems and using communications to improve recycling rates.

WPP will host a series of Unpack the Problem creative hackathons over the summer to develop ideas that help tackle plastic pollution.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “Our industry has tremendous collective power to bring about change for the better, but our efforts have to begin at home. Taking the plastic out of Wire & Plastic Products by phasing out single-use plastics in our offices is just the first step.”