250kg every minute: Why investors are taking on plastic pollution
Every minute, around 250kg of plastic leaks into Australia’s environment. Wind and rain eventually funnel it into our waterways. Onto our beaches. Into the oceans that sustain some of the world’s most extraordinary ecosystems.
We’ve all seen the consequences: seabirds tangled in fishing line. Turtles mistaking soft plastic bags for jellyfish snacks. Beaches littered with packaging designed to be used for minutes, then discarded for generations. Microplastics in our food, our bloodstreams, our babies.
But while plastic pollution is often framed as a consumer issue, that’s just shifting the blame – and perpetuating a problem we can’t recycle our way out of. The reality is much bigger than what ends up in our recycling bins.
We can all do our bit for the environment. But plastic waste is bigger than individual choices.
It starts with systems. And some of the biggest systems shaping Australia’s plastic footprint sit on supermarket shelves.
That’s why Future Super is joining forces with ethical shareholder platform SIX, ocean conservation charity the Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS), and ocean cleanup innovators Seabin to encourage Australia’s major supermarkets to do better on plastic packaging, for example by setting more ambitious reduction targets and publicly disclosing their plastic footprint.
Together, we’re using shareholder advocacy to encourage greater transparency, meaningful reduction targets, and credible pathways towards reusable or refillable plastic packaging.
As shareholders, we have a voice. And when investors, conservation experts and communities join forces, that voice is amplified.
Supermarkets could lead by example
Plastic packaging is the single largest use of plastic globally. Here in Australia, it made up almost 40% of the 3.2 million tonnes of plastic disposed of in 2023–24.
Supermarkets sit at the centre of the plastic packaging trade. They influence packaging requirements across thousands of products, shape supplier standards, and determine what millions of Australians take home every week in their shopping bags.
That gives major retailers like Coles and Woolworths enormous power to help reduce unnecessary disposable plastic at scale.
But, according to the latest Unwrapped: Plastic Use in Australian Supermarkets audit from AMCS and the Boomerang Alliance, all major supermarkets failed across key categories including transparency, reduction, reuse and governance. Not one of them demonstrated a meaningful reduction in disposable plastic packaging over the past three years.
The amount of plastic produced is closely linked to the amount that ends up polluting rivers, waterways and oceans, showing that relying on recycling isn’t enough. The more plastic we create, the more likely it is to leak into the environment.
Recycling remains important, but it’s clear that it can’t single-handedly solve the scale of the problem.
Beyond recycling
Australians have been told for years that plastic pollution is a matter of personal responsibility. Avoid plastic straws, recycle properly, bring a keep cup, remember your reusable bags.
Those actions do matter, but they can only go so far in a system still producing enormous volumes of disposable packaging.
In Australia, less than 15% of plastic packaging is estimated to be recycled each year. And globally, research suggests that while plastic production keeps rising, even improving recycling rates would still leave millions of tonnes of plastic entering the ocean annually by 2040.
That’s why more attention is shifting upstream, toward reduction, reuse and redesign.
It’s also why public sentiment is evolving. According to polling commissioned by AMCS, 96% of Australians support reducing single-use plastics, while 76% support mandatory reductions in plastic packaging by companies.
People understand that this isn’t simply about what individuals throw away. It’s about how products are designed, packaged and sold in the first place. Buying cheese, ham or even grapes is next to impossible without getting lumbered with a load of disposable plastic as well. Some of this feels unavoidable – but there are solutions to the problem of waste.
And that’s where companies – particularly major retailers – have an important role to play.
Plastic is a climate issue
Plastic pollution doesn’t just threaten marine life, ecosystems and human health. It’s also deeply connected to climate change.
Most plastics are made from fossil fuels like oil and gas. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels for energy, oil companies are betting big on plastics as their next payday. It keeps fossil fuels alive and locks in more emissions – across extraction, production and waste systems – and more climate-related risks flowing through the economy over the long term.
At Future Super, members’ retirement savings are invested with a focus on long-term resilience and sustainability. We believe climate change and environmental degradation are systemic risks that create real financial risks over time. This campaign reflects that perspective, because protecting the systems people and economies rely on – from healthy oceans to stable climates – is closely connected to building a future worth retiring into.
Why shareholder advocacy matters
One of the most powerful things about superannuation is that it gives everyday Australians collective ownership in the economy.
Super funds, investors and shareholders have the ability to engage with companies directly, ask questions, advocate for stronger disclosure and encourage better long-term practices. This is known as shareholder advocacy or stewardship.
At Future Super, stewardship forms part of how we seek to protect and grow members’ retirement savings over the long term.
By partnering with SIX and AMCS, we can combine shareholder influence with scientific and conservation expertise, public accountability and community momentum to advocate for stronger corporate action on plastic packaging.
If they fail to take action, we shareholders also have mechanisms to escalate concerns through the Annual General Meeting (AGM) process, including shareholder resolutions.
That’s part of what makes shareholder advocacy powerful: it brings environmental and social risks directly into boardroom conversations.
What the campaign asks for
This campaign is focused on practical, achievable actions. Specifically, we’re calling on major supermarkets to:
set ambitious targets to reduce overall plastic packaging
disclose their total plastic packaging footprint year-on-year
improve transparency around packaging use
build credible pathways toward reusable and refillable packaging systems
These are all reasonable expectations for companies with significant influence over Australia’s packaging systems and supply chains. Better transparency helps everyone – including investors – better understand how companies are managing long-term environmental and operational risks.
So, we’ll be meeting with several of these companies on behalf of our members and community to better understand what actions they’re taking to reduce plastic packaging. Real change happens when systems evolve, businesses adapt, communities organise – and when investors advocate for improved corporate practices. That’s what this partnership is about.
At Future Super, we believe money is one of the most powerful tools we have to shape the future. Not just through where it’s invested, but through how investors engage and advocate for better outcomes over the long term.
The future isn’t something that just happens to us. It’s something we build together.
Get involved
Join our webinar, 16 July
We’ll be hosting a webinar with AMCS, SIX and Seabin on 16 July 2026 to explore:
the scale of Australia’s plastic packaging problem
how shareholder advocacy works
what supermarkets can do differently
how communities and investors can help drive change
Click below to get involved.