Plastic pollution on land and in the oceans is a fact. However, estimates vary about the extent and the future development of this phenomenon. Some researchers say plastic pollution levels will triple by 2040 if nothing is done. The prospect of stretches of coastline, river banks and fields laced with plastic waste, as well as floating islands of waste in the oceans, is worrying in any case.
Various initiatives point the way ahead.
Environmental pollution from plastics is one issue. Then there
is the negative economic component to the story. Some 95 per cent of the total value of plastic packaging, which amounts to between 80 and 120 billion US dollars a year, are lost to the economy after a short one-way cycle. This emerges from the report “The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics” published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and prepared by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Co., a consultancy.
Many people around the world have recognised the problem and are taking action. The “New Plastics Economy Global Commitment” is an important initiative launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the UN Environment Programme in October 2018. It currently unites over 400 companies, governments and other organisations behind a common vision and ambitious goals based on a circulating economic model in which plastic never becomes waste.
Concrete scenarios and their consequences.
The recently published study, “Breaking the Plastic Wave”, produced by Pew Charitable Trusts and Systemiq provides new insights into the subject. Pew Charitable Trusts is a global research and outreach non-profit organisation and Systemiq are consultants for sustainable economic systems.
“Breaking the Plastic Wave”, which the initiators developed in collaboration with scientists and experts from around the world, models the evolution of the volume of plastic released into the global ecological system and the proportion of plastic waste in the oceans from 2016 to 2040, and also compares six scenarios ranging from “everything-as-before” to a complete system change. The model also quantifies the associated effects of these scenarios in terms of costs, climate effects and jobs.
Realistic ideas with attractive advantages.
With a profound systemic change like the one proposed in “Breaking the Plastic Wave”, the amount of plastic waste landing in the world’s oceans could be reduced by around 80 per cent by 2040. In addition to the positive effect on maintaining the health of the oceans, such a system change would allow governments to save around 70 billion US dollars on waste management over the next 20 years. This scenario would also yield a reduction of greenhouse gases by 25 per cent and create around 700,000 new jobs, according to the study.
These attractive outcomes are not based on future technological developments. Rather, they call for the use of solutions and techniques that are already available today, such as reducing plastic consumption, using substitutes for plastic where possible, adapting product designs, increasing plastic recycling activities and reducing waste exports.
Big brands are showing the way.
The annual report of the New Plastics Economy shows that things are already moving in the direction of a circulating model for plastics. The report lists various well-known companies as examples of recent progress. Unilever has announced that it will reduce the use of new plastic in packaging by 50 per cent, while Mars and PepsiCo intend to use 20 per cent less by 2025. Around 70 per cent of the signatories of the Global Commitment pledge to eliminate disposable straws, plastic bags and sooty plastics and to reduce the amount of PVC in their packaging by around 80 per cent.
The organisations behind the quoted studies:
Pew Charitable Trusts (PEW) is a nonprofit organisation based in Philadelphia, PA. It has been using evidence-based, impartial analysis to solve current challenges for over 70 years. PEW is currently active
in 46 countries and actively runs 40 projects and campaigns.
Systemiq Ltd. is a Certified B Corporation with offices in London, Munich and Jakarta. The company was founded in 2016 and is involved in several system-change initiatives related to plastics and packaging.
The New Plastics Economy is being promoted by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation with support from the UN Environment Programme. In 2018, it launched a global commitment initiative to which around 400 companies have committed at various levels. The project aims to reduce the amount of plastics sent to landfills.
A choice that isn’t.
The conclusions that Pew Charitable Trusts (PEW) and Systemiq derive for the “everything-as-before” scenario in “Breaking the Plastic Wave” should shake everyone up. It wouldn’t just mean that the amount of plastic waste in the oceans would almost triple by 2040. In addition, waste management costs would rise to some 670 billion US dollars and manufacturers would have to pay collection and disposal fees totalling 100 billion dollars – in a business that is already suffering from very low margins. Along with many other negative factors, doing nothing would also increase greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn affect the health of the planet and humanity.
All hands on deck.
“Breaking the Plastic Wave” not only analyses possible scenarios, but also provides concrete starting points for all the individual actors to alter their use of plastics. Since systemic change should be the preferred scenario, the proposals also pursue this goal. The measures depend on where a company operates in the supply chain and whether it operates in a strong or weak economic environment.
In their study, Pew and Systemiq recommend that plastic manufacturers and processors focus more on recycled plastics and recyclable products. The study also advises that these companies actively promote a 100 per cent recycling rate for their plastics, even in countries where there is no corresponding legal obligation for manufacturers.
Brand owners of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products and retailers generally should, according to the recommendations in “Breaking the Plastic Wave”, initiate the turn-around in plastic usage and reduce their plastic consumption by at least a third through new recycling and delivery models and greater use of substitute materials. Waste management and the manufacturers of paper and compostable materials should also play their part in changing the system.
The goal can be achieved together.
Both the annual report of the New Plastics Economy with its global commitment and the study by the Pew Charitable Trust and Systemiq point to great opportunities for sustainable improvements in how we use plastics. However, both expert bodies come to the conclusion that all actors have to act together and have to do so very quickly.
The Pew Charitable Trusts: www.pewtrusts.org
Systemiq Ltd.: www.systemiq.earth
The New Plastics Economy: www.newplasticseconomy.org
