Page 60 - Plastics news December 2023

IN THE NEWS

tics Treaty next week. The treaty is a duce mismanaged waste." and companies to come on board to
proposed, legally binding measure to One part of the analysis found that help limit the amount of plastics go-
end plastic pollution, which more than establishing a minimum recycled con- ing into our oceans and larger envi-
175 nations have agreed to jointly de- tent rate of 30%, as has been adopted ronment. Especially fast-moving-con-
velop and sign. in the UK for plastic packaging, would sumer goods companies can make a

"The tool is unique in that it allows re- slash annual mismanaged waste by marked difference here, by rethinking
al-time interactive prediction for UN about 31% by 2024. The data also their packaging choices they make on
negotiators,” said Sam Pottinger, a projects that using the funds from tax- behalf of their consumers.
Senior Research Data Scientist at UC es and Extended Producer Responsi- “The developing countries house
Berkeley. “They can quickly simulate bility schemes to invest in waste man- much more of the world population
outcomes of different policy scenarios agement, (e.g. collection services) than NAFTA and EU combined.
which they can make both by selecting would go further than if they were “If they start using plastics at the rates
policies built into the tool and by cre- used to invest in recycling plants. This that NAFTA and EU are, we will be in
ating their own. Bringing their exper- funding would go further still, accord- much more trouble. That said, there
tise into conversation with the mod- ing to the researchers, if those waste is a way out of this mess. By including
eling, this gives them the opportunity management schemes were concen- all the policies outlined, we can reach
to use the AI and engine to explore trated in the Global South. a near-zero mismanaged waste sce-
scenarios that maybe we didn't even “We cannot recycle our way out of nario. I hope world leaders in NAFTA
consider. This freedom and speed lets this,” said Dr. Nivedita Biyani, a re- and the EU will commit to a high am-
the tool keep up with conversations searcher on global plastic modeling bition treaty to help other countries
as they evolve and ultimately enables at the Benioff Ocean Science Labo- leap-frog their way out of this.”
nations to align on an ambitious in- ratory at the University of California
formed suite of treaty policies to re- Santa Barbara. “We need countries

Plastic industry must aim for Rs 10 lakh crore turnover in five years, says

Minister Piyush Goyal

said Union minister of commerce and ment as well in five years with the ex-
industry Piyush Goyal. pected increase in turnover.
Goyal, who was reviewing the func- He also asked participants from the
tioning of the plastic industry, said de- industry to focus on quality.
pendence on second-hand machinery
was not the way forward and that
there was huge potential in increasing "A less-than-good quality machin-
the manufacture of plastic machinery ery would only produce substandard
in India and reducing dependence on products. In order to compete glob-
imports. ally, world class machinery needs to
be used for all kinds of production,"
Emphasising that the plastic industry
he plastic manufacturing industry the commerce and industry ministry
Tshould aim to increase turnover was one of the biggest generators of quoted Goyal as saying.
to `10 lakh crore in the next five years employment in the country, he said
from Rs three lakh crore currently, it should now aim to double employ-

60 PLASTICS NEWSASTICS NEWS December 2023
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