Responsible Plastic Use Coalition to launch legal action against Canadian government over toxic label
A group of industry leaders has launched the Responsible Plastic Use Coalition (RPUC) to pursue legal action against the federal government.
On May 12 the Canadian government added all "plastic manufactured items" to Schedule 1, the List of Toxic Substances of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
As a result, industry leaders from across Canada have come together to take action to challenge this legislative action by the Government, while continuing to encourage the federal government to implement science-based innovative solutions that will combat plastic waste - such as enhancing collection infrastructure and investing in advanced recycling.
In support of these actions, RPUC has filed a Notice of Application in the Federal Court of Canada challenging the order adding all plastic manufactured items to the List of Toxic Substances.
According to the group, declaring plastic manufactured items "toxic" is a significant overreach by the federal government and will have unnecessary and unintended consequences, including:
- Increasing cost and confusion for consumers and small businesses;
- Reducing investment and innovation along the plastics value chain due to uncertainty and changing regulations;
- Creating regulatory uncertainty around which additional items could eventually be banned;
- Resulting in negative environmental outcomes by promoting alternatives to plastics which have greater environmental footprints;
- Making it more difficult to create a circular economy for plastic and preventing new and innovative recycling pathways for plastic.
RPUC is closely monitoring the federal government's actions on this matter. RPUC will continue to provide updates as developments regarding its legal action against the federal government proceed.
