Signaling future plastic reduction mandates, Environment and Climate Change Canada has announced the establishment of the Federal Plastics Registry.
The registry will require plastic resin manufacturers, producers of plastic products (including importers) and service providers to report each year, starting in 2025, on the quantity and types of plastic they place on the market and how that plastic moves through the economy, according to a USDA summary of the regulation.
The reporting requirement extends to the quantity of plastic that is collected and diverted, reused, repaired, remanufactured, refurbished, recycled, processed into chemicals, composted, incinerated and landfilled, the report said. Annual reporting to the Federal Plastics Registry will start in September 2025, for data related to the 2024 calendar year, and continue until September 2027.
Reporting requirements beyond 2027 are yet to be determined, according to the USDA summary.
Environment and Climate Change Canada is likely to rely on the information collected via the Federal Plastics Registry to inform the development of future plastic reduction regulations, or measures, such as requirements related to minimum recycled content, or plastic packaging reduction requirements, the USDA summary said.
For the registry, Canadian importers may request information from their suppliers, such as U.S. exporters of agriculture and food products, who thus end up sharing in the effort of collecting and reporting on the data.
Examples of plastic products subject to the reporting requirement include plastic packaging, ag containers, food contact materials, beverage containers, structural plastic and more.
