Canada’s Packaging Changes and the Green Party

The Green Party called for a ban on single-use plastics.

The Green Party of Canada wants to follow Europe’s lead and ban single-use plastics, while also encouraging sustainable solutions. According to the Green Party of Canada website, more than eight in ten Canadians want the government to stop plastic pollution.

So far, the Green Party has opened a petition to get the government to notice the support for the ban on single-use plastics.

The government of Canada intends on changing the packaging requirements for federal procurements. Federal procurement is the buying of goods and services by the government of Canada. There is no set date for when the federal procurement changes will come into effect.

Request for Information

The federal government submitted a Request for Information (RFI) in September 2019. The RFI provided input on how to reduce waste through more sustainable packaging requirements for federal procurements.

Findings of the RFI

Here are the key findings from the RFI:

Harmonization Challenges: Regulations around recycling infrastructure and waste management in Canada vary significantly between the provincial and municipal levels.

Recycling and Composting Limitations: Consumers can be confused about the composability or recyclability of products. Also, some packaging is marked compostable through third-party certifications. This is a problem because some packages are not certain to be compostable at the facilities.

Recycled Content Issues: Accounting for the quality, availability, and cost of recycled content material in packaging was a challenge, whereas virgin plastics are much easier to evaluate.

Further Engagement Required: RFI participants suggest that there be further collaboration with a variety of stakeholders in the packaging and recycling industries to ensure sustainable packaging requirements.

Single-Use Plastics Ban

The federal government intends on implementing a ban on single-use plastics by the end of 2021. The Green Party of Canada’s website says this ban is something that former Green Party leader Elizabeth May has been wanting for years.

Sources:

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=b84fda20-85c6-4c9c-abfd-c18c84e42478&fbclid=IwAR14jkQ0XsP-fp32cgzbxCW4a8DvX4tZVIQ3jFWrVezJtPMK4qQ5KbyCC7w

https://www.greenparty.ca/en

Yousef Al Khodari

Yousef Al Khodari is a first-year student at Ryerson University where he studies Journalism with a minor in biology. He is passionate about sustainable development, climate change, and human rights for journalists across the world. Thanks to his science and journalism background, he is interested in diplomacy, education for development, global public health, access to justice, and wildlife conservation. He is looking forward to helping people learn more about environmental issues and the Green parties that exist all around the world.

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