Question Period Note: PLASTIC USE IN AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD

R.1 - Agricultural producers and processors are already adopting sustainable practices that help reduce their use of plastics.

Our government is supporting further reduction and reuse by contributing funding to Cleanfarms, a national not-for-profit industry stewardship organization that has programs in place across Canada to recover and manage plastic waste.

Reducing plastics used in food packaging requires research, innovation, and collaboration across the value chain. The government is providing funding to producers and processors to develop innovative, plastic-free food storage and preservation techniques that maintain quality and shelf life. We are also increasing support for research into the potential use of bio-based plastics as a renewable alternative.

Our government will continue to support farmers and the food industry to achieve Zero Plastic Waste in 2030 and engage with stakeholders and partners across the entire value chain to further understand the implications and costs of any proposed policies or regulations.

Plastic Use in Primary Agriculture

Canadian primary agriculture currently uses close to 62,000 tonnes of plastics annually in the process of growing crops and raising livestock. Common uses are fertilizer and pesticide containers, grain bags, silage wrap, baling twine, greenhouse construction, crop mulches/covers, irrigation systems, crates for crop collecting and tile drainage. Plastics provide producers with an economical way to extend their growing season, increase storage, reduce inputs like pesticides and fertilizers, improve yield and preserve feed.

According to a study conducted by Deloitte, on behalf of Environment and Climate Change Canada, agriculture generates 1.4% of plastic waste in Canada. Although farming generates a small proportion of plastic waste relative to other sectors, there is an opportunity for improved management of plastic waste through increasing plastic recycling rates.

AAFC efforts have focused on collaboration with Cleanfarms, a national not-for-profit industry stewardship organization that has programs in place across Canada to recover and manage non-organic and mostly plastic, farm waste. Most Cleanfarms programs operate on a voluntary basis, but in some locations Cleanfarms programs are funded by, and support, provincial regulations through Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs required in certain provinces. In 2019/2020, Cleanfarms received federal funding for projects aimed at building a Canada-wide zero plastic waste strategy, including for a two-year project (2019-2021) from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Zero Plastic Waste Initiative and a four-year project (2020-2024) through AAFC’s Canadian Agricultural Strategic Priorities Program.

Plastic Use in Food Packaging

The food industry is the second largest user of plastics in manufacturing with a 19% share, second only to the transportation sector. A recent audit of large grocery stores across Canada found that nearly two-thirds (64%) of products in select grocery sections (produce, baby food, pet food, and soup) were packaged in plastic intended for single use. Additionally, single-use food and beverage packaging represented more than a quarter of the litter found on Canadian shorelines in 2020.

There are also growing concerns over microplastics that are generated when these items degrade in the environment and could cause harm to the ecosystem and human health. As a result, plastic waste from food packaging is being raised with increasing frequency, including in meetings with industry, US representatives, and international bodies like the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Additionally, the United Nations Environment Program is spearheading an effort to develop an international treaty on plastic pollution prevention, which will implicate agriculture and agri-food.

While AAFC has no dedicated programming for plastic waste, a few programs have funded specific projects to help the food sector increase plastic sustainability or create plastics alternatives (e.g. under the Agricultural Clean Technologies program and the Food Waste Reduction Challenge).

AAFC’s Science Related to Plastic

Canada’s Zero Plastic Waste Agenda, which outlines the approach to Canada’s goal of zero plastic waste by 2030, includes advancing science, research activities, information sharing, and filling key knowledge gaps. As AAFC implements its Strategic Plan for Science, it will continue conducting research to support a more circular and low carbon economy, which promotes efficient resource utilization and reduced greenhouse gas emissions while ensuring the resiliency of agroecosystems.

The department is advancing understanding of the impact of plastics on the ecosystem and has increased investigations into bio-based plastics as renewable and/or biodegradable alternatives to petro-plastics. This includes: 1) Research on the development of bioproducts using specialty protein compositions, including films and fibres; 2) Research on bioplastics and thermo-plastic polymers/starch that utilizes agriculture residues for making bioplastic precursors; 3) Research on plasticulture systems, such as low-cost bioplastic and/or photo-degradable mulches.

Collaborative research with industrial partners on plant starch- and protein-based bioplastics and canola meal-based bioproducts have resulted in the production of plastic/composite from renewable feedstock and biocarbon-based bioplastic mulch film for the Canadian agriculture production system. In addition to AAFC, NRC and NRCan have also contributed research to advance bio-based materials for commercial plastics.

Plastic Pollution Reduction Measures in the Agriculture and Agri-Food Sector

ECCC is working towards an ambitious agenda to reduce plastic waste in all sectors of the economy through regulatory and non-regulatory measures. Current government initiatives with respect to plastic reduction are not expected to significantly impact the primary agriculture sector, however these measures could have a significant impact on the food industry.

Proposed Regulatory Measures include:

Recycled content requirements that mandate minimum levels of recycled post-consumer plastics for beverage containers and secondary food packaging.

Requirement that Price Look-Up (PLU) stickers for produce be compostable by 2026.

Recyclability labelling rules requiring accurate information be communicated to Canadians on whether packaging or single use plastics are recyclable, and how to dispose of them properly. 

Compost labelling rules prohibiting the terms “biodegradable” or “degradable” on plastic packaging and single use plastics and limiting the use of the term “compostable” to plastics that meet certain standards and labelling requirements. 

Proposed Non-Regulatory Measures

A Federal Plastics Registry that would require businesses, including agri-food, to report annually, by 2026, on the quantity and types of plastic they place on the Canadian market, how it moves through the economy, and, most importantly, how it is managed at its end-of-life.

A Pollution Prevention (P2) Planning Notice that targets primary food packaging by requiring that large grocers develop plans to reduce plastic primary food packaging waste through reduction, reuse and design for circularity. While the P2 Plans are not regulations that will be enforced, plans are mandatory and will be reviewed by ECCC for completeness. A draft P2 consultation document was published in August 2023. In response to the ECCC proposal, AAFC carried out a study in collaboration with ECCC to determine how much plastic packaging could be eliminated in the produce aisle while preserving fruit and vegetable quality and without compromising the variety of produce available. Results indicated that given current technology and structure, it would not be possible to meet the target of eliminating 95% of primary plastic packaging in produce. The study demonstrated that 25% of produce will need to continue to be sold prepackaged in plastic.

AAFC also undertook a reuse contract in collaboration with ECCC to explore the use of reusable plastic packaging. The report concluded that there could be some potential for reuse/refill systems with individual high-volume fast-moving consumer products distributed regionally and representing the potential for higher-than-average number of rotations. This could include products such as milk, yoghurt, cream, whipping cream, sour cream, cottage cheese, bottled water, soft drinks, juices and other drinks.

Aside from the Federal Plastics Registry, the other proposed measures depend on the outcome of a court case, anticipated in late 2024 - early 2025, related to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). The federal government is only able to regulate substances for environmental protection if they are listed as toxic under CEPA, therefore, ECCC moved to add “plastic manufactured items” to the list of toxic substances on Schedule 1 of CEPA through an Order in Council (OIC) on May 12, 2021. A case against the OIC was brought forward by a coalition of plastic companies, including Dow Chemical, Imperial Oil and Nova Chemicals (and supported by the Government of Alberta). In November 2023, a Federal Court judge ruled that the federal government’s decision to list plastic items as toxic was unreasonable and unconstitutional, writing that the category of plastic manufactured items was too broad to be given a blanket toxicity label under federal law. The federal government has appealed this decision, and the case is currently underway at the Federal Court of Appeals.

This court case has placed a number of proposed ECCC initiatives related to reducing plastics waste on hold. Should the federal government’s position in court be successful, ECCC will resume activities to reduce plastic waste. Some of the measures above may be re-introduced, however, any specific targets would continue to evolve based on consultations and feasibility studies. Should the appeal of the federal court decision regarding the listing of plastics under CEPA be unsuccessful, it will require revisiting mechanisms to reduce plastic waste, including in the agriculture and agri-food sector, which may require identification of innovative solutions and supports.  

Agricultural producers and processors are already adopting sustainable practices that help reduce their use of plastics.

Our government is supporting further reduction and reuse by contributing funding to Cleanfarms, a national not-for-profit industry stewardship organization that has programs in place across Canada to recover and manage plastic waste.

Reducing plastics used in food packaging requires research, innovation, and collaboration across the value chain. The government is providing funding to producers and processors to develop innovative, plastic-free food storage and preservation techniques that maintain quality and shelf life. We are also increasing support for research into the potential use of bio-based plastics as a renewable alternative.

Our government will continue to support farmers and the food industry to achieve Zero Plastic Waste in 2030 and engage with stakeholders and partners across the entire value chain to further understand the implications and costs of any proposed policies or regulations.