The Government of Canada is proposing the development of a new plan that would help grocery retailers in the country tackle plastic packaging pollution.

Dubbed the Pollution Prevention Planning Notice (P2 Notice), the plan is aimed at plastic packaging that comes into direct contact with food.

Canadian grocery retailers would be required to develop and implement a pollution prevention plan, which will help them achieve targets of reducing, reusing, and redesigning primary food plastic packaging.

The P2 Notice is planned to eliminate unnecessary or problematic plastic packaging and replace single-use plastic packaging with reliable reuse-refill systems.

It would ensure that any related plastic packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable.

Furthermore, the plan would set specific targets to scale up the sale of products within reuse-refill systems, concentrated products, and products free of plastic packaging.

Grocery retailers and other interested partners have until 30 August 2023 to make their comments or grievances on the consultation document for the development of the P2 Notice.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault said: "Plastics play an important role in the everyday lives of Canadians. However, a significant amount of plastic food packaging is used only once and then ends up in landfills as waste, or in the environment as pollution.

“The solution lies in the concerted action and combined efforts of all governments, industry (in this case, major grocery retailers), and Canadians. By getting rid of problematic plastic food packaging, replacing single-use packaging with reuse-refill systems, and ensuring that plastics, if needed, are designed to be safely reused, recycled, or composted, we can all help move Canada toward zero-plastic waste."

In March this year, Canada invested C$8.2m in three food packaging businesses to develop innovative sustainable packaging and help move the country towards a zero-plastic waste future.