Draft:Break Free From Plastic

• Comment: Primary sources do not establish notability per WP:ORG. DoubleGrazing (talk) 08:41, 14 June 2025 (UTC)

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Break Free From Plastic

Established	2016 (2016)
Type	environmental coalition
Purpose	Environmentalism, climate, and plastic pollution
Headquarters	Quezon City, Philippines
Region	Worldwide
Methods	Advocacy, policy and communication
Staff	35 (2022)
Volunteers	14,760 (2022)
Website	[1]

Break Free From Plastic (BFFP) is a coalition of 3,000 organizations and 11,000 individuals advocating for systemic solutions to plastic pollution. Launched in 2016, it calls for a significant reduction in plastic production and promotes systemic solutions such as reuse systems, corporate accountability measures, and zero-waste communities.

Some of BFFP’s member organizations include Greenpeace, Oceana, Center for International Environmental Law, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA), The Story of Stuff Project and Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Brand Audits

Break Free From Plastic conducts brand audits as part of a global citizen science initiative aimed at documenting the prevalence of branded plastic waste. Since 2018, the organization reports having engaged over 200,000 volunteers across 87 countries in collecting data during plastic pollution cleanup events. Participants record the brands found on plastic waste items, and the aggregated data is published annually.

The brand audit findings have been used in public campaigns and cited in various media reports identifying the companies most frequently associated with branded plastic waste. In some instances, the data has been referenced in legal actions. For example, in 2023, Los Angeles County filed a lawsuit against PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, citing misleading claims about the recyclability and environmental impact of their plastic packaging.

In 2024, the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances published a study analyzing data from 1,576 brand audit events in 84 countries. The study concluded that 56 multinational companies were linked to over half of all branded plastic waste collected. The Coca-Cola Company accounted for approximately 11% of branded waste, followed by PepsiCo (5%), Nestlé (3%), Danone (3%), and Altria/Philip Morris International (2%).

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act

The Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act is a federal legislative bill, originally introduced by U.S. Senator Tom Udall (NM) and California Representative Alan Lowenthal in the United States Congress. It includes measures for a moratorium on new plastic facilities, replacing the most toxic plastics with non-toxic alternatives, investing in reuse systems, and more.

Break Free From Plastic members in the US have supported the bill since it was first introduced in 2020. Except for the current 119th U.S. Congress, which began on January 3, 2025, the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act has been introduced consistently since 2020 with Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Jared Huffman serving as the most recent sponsors.

Break Free from Plastic and Ocean Conservancy Controversy

In 2015, the Ocean Conservancy published a report titled Stemming the Tide, which attributed a significant portion of marine plastic pollution to mismanaged waste in several East and Southeast Asian countries. The report received criticism from environmental organizations for its emphasis on waste management solutions such as waste-to-energy and incineration, and for not addressing the role of plastic production in the broader pollution issue. In response, over 200 organizations, including several that would later form the Break Free From Plastic movement, issued a public letter expressing concerns about the report’s conclusions and potential implications for environmental and public health in the region. In 2022, the Ocean Conservancy formally retracted the report, removed it from its website, and issued an apology acknowledging its shortcomings.

Global Plastic Treaty

In March 2, 2022, at the conclusion of the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, member states adopted a resolution to initiate the development of a legally binding international treaty addressing plastic pollution. The proposed treaty aims to establish global rules governing the production, use, and disposal of plastics, with the goal of curbing environmental impacts across their life cycle.

Since negotiations began in 2022, several members of the Break Free From Plastic movement have participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee as observers. The treaty, which is expected to be finalized by 2025, is being designed to offer a coordinated international framework to reduce plastic pollution. Draft proposals under discussion include provisions related to limiting plastic production, managing hazardous additives, supporting alternatives to plastic, and improving transparency and accountability.