Page 41 - Plastics News March 2019

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Rate of plastic pollution will Plastic in crosshairs at
double by 2030 says WWF environment forum

lastic pollution worldwide will double by 2030 unless he global fight against plastic pollution comes into
Pmajor changes are made in how plastic waste is Tsharp focus at the Fourth UN Environment Assembly
managed, according to a new report from WWF. On held this month in Nairobi, Kenya, with the launch of
average, we each use 53 kilograms of plastic a year and three reports each addressing different aspects of,
generate a collective total of more than 300 million tonnes and solutions for, the growing impact of plastics on the
of plastic waste. world’s marine environments. Countries from around
By 2030, this the world set their sights on a pivotal deal to curb plastic
is predicted to waste, a source of long-term pollution and worsening
double, with contamination of the ocean’s food chain. Thousands
the brunt of of delegates, business leaders and campaigners were
the im pacts in Nairobi for the five-day UN Environment Assembly,
expected to the top annual forum on the planet’s environmental
hit our oceans. crisis. The UN wants individual countries to sign up
These are just to “significantly” reduce plastic production, including
some of the a phasing out of single-use plastics by 2030 — a goal
figures to come from WWF's global plastic report, Solving inspired by the 2015 Paris Agreement on voluntary
Plastic Through Accountability. The report urges policy reductions of carbon emissions. “In the field of
makers to draft a global, legally binding agreement to stop (plastic) pollution we don’t have such agreements,”
plastic entering marine environments, and to establish Siim Kiisler, UN Environment Assembly president and
strong national targets to cut down on plastic use.About Estonia’s environment minister, told journalists as the
40 per cent of plastics we consume today are single-use gathering got underway. “This is the first time (we
— things like cutlery, plates, food containers, electronics have) to convince member states to make international
packaging. Single-use plastics simply have to go, according commitments.” The world currently produces more
to Richard Leck, WWF's Head of Oceans and Sustainable than 300 million tonnes of plastics annually, and there
Development. "In terms of the calls to action, absolutely are at least five trillion plastic pieces floating in our
the ban around single-use plastics is very important," he oceans. Microplastics have been found in the deepest
said."There needs to be incentives for producers to use s ea tr enches
products that aren't single use." In creating plastic we've and high up the
effectively designed a material that is too good. It's cheap, earth’s tallest
versatile and lasts a long time.To help shift us towards peaks, and plastic
a circular economy, single-use plastic needs to be more consumption is
expensive to produce, according to Mr Leck.For that to growing year-on-
happen, producers need to be accountable for the entire year. “Plastic
lifecycle of their products.For instance, a soft-drink bottle is a very good
floating in the ocean must be the property of the company mater ial , it’s
that made the bottle, and they must have factored in the durable, flexible and light,” Mr. Kiisler said. “This
cost of retrieving the bottle into their business model."The means we should make the best out of it for as long
issue around plastic is the classic example of 'who pays?' as possible instead of disposing of it.” The Nairobi
At the moment, the polluters aren't paying," he said."We meeting comes against the backdrop of series of UN
have to make sure that the cost of plastics to nature is reports outlining in stark terms the damage mankind
incorporated into the price." According to WWF, the cost is doing to the planet, much of it due to reckless
to recycle plastic in Europe is almost double what that consumption.“These things are all linked: climate, the
plastic is then worth. environment, waste,” a delegate said.

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41 March 2019 Plastics News