The Netherlands is one of 16 EU countries which will today sign a ‘plastic pact‘ aimed at reducing the amount of plastic waste and boosting recycling.

The project, initiated by the Dutch, Danes and the French, is a private public alliance, and independent of the EU. The aim is to ensure all plastic packaging and single-use plastic products are reusable where possible and in any case recyclable by 2025.

It also wants to reduce the weight of new plastic products by at least 20% and boost recycling capacity.

‘In the future we should be able to reuse every little bit of plastic and keep them out of our oceans and our environment,’ Dutch environment minister Stientje van Veldhoven said, ahead of the signing ceremony in Brussels.

In addition, 66 companies are signing the pact, including Unilever, dairy group Friesland Campina and Bonduelle.

Environmental group Greenpeace had described the project as a missed opportunity. ‘It is too focused on recycling and not enough on the system changes we need to make to tackle this enormous problem,’ a spokesman told broadcaster NOS.

The Netherlands banned free plastic bags in 2006 and earlier this week it emerged that 94% of people now take their own bags to the supermarket. In addition, the amount of plastic bags found in litter has plunged 60%, according to government figures.