From potato chip bags and milk jugs to shampoo bottles and disposable coffee cups, plastics permeate our daily lives more than we realize. But 79 percent of all plastic waste ever produced has accumulated in landfills, dumps, and in the natural environment. Mercy Investment Services and fellow members of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) are evaluating the challenges and possible solutions to plastic pollution.
The PRI Plastics Investor Working Group has collaborated with PRI staff and an external research consultant to develop three reports, which help investors understand why plastic is a problem, the key sectors in the plastic value chain, and challenges and possible solutions. The group has used these reports to develop investor engagement guides, focusing on petrochemicals, containers and packaging, fast-moving consumer goods, and waste management sectors. Caroline Boden, director of shareholder advocacy for Mercy Investment Services, was named to the working group and has used her experience in other issue areas such as safer chemical management and environmental justice to discuss how other environmental, social and governance topics intersect with plastics.
As part of our commitment to care for our common home, Mercy Investment Services will continue to look at plastics both in our engagements and with collaborative groups such as PRI to find solutions to this crisis.