Global waste plastic management needs more effective approach

It’s often said that the key to success is collaboration, and if this latest report from the Nordic Council of Ministers for the Environment and Climate is anything to go by, that certainly seems to be the case in the case of waste plastic management.
The report, which was developed by Systemiq, signals the urgent need for concerted global action and the implementation of global policies to ward off further escalating plastic pollution.
Failing such measures, virgin plastic production could soar by 66%, from 430 million tonnes in 2019 to 712 million tonnes in 2040. This would nearly double annual mismanaged plastic volumes and increase greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2040 relative to 2019 levels, the authors write.
Published under the title ‘Towards Ending Plastic Pollution by 2040: 15 Global Policy Interventions for Systems Change’, the report is emphatic that the upcoming international treaty on ending plastic pollution also incorporate a comprehensive set of globally binding rules. These are crucial to fully end all aspects of plastic pollution and align the plastic system with the Paris Climate Agreement.

The present report contains a package of 15 global policy interventions across the plastic lifecycle. However, their effective implementation can be achieved only by anchoring these in global rules set down in the international, legally binding instrument to end plastic pollution. “Without common global rules and harmonised action, coordination and collaboration, the plastics policy landscape would likely remain fragmented, the adoption of far-reaching policies limited and the system’s ability to deal with complex international plastic value chains insufficient,” the report states.

Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Icelandic minister of the environment, energy and climate and current president of the Nordic Council of Ministers for Climate and the Environment, referred to the plastic treaty as a ‘unique opportunity to end plastic pollution by 2040’.

“This report shows how current global policies, even if upgraded, do not solve plastic pollution entirely. Therefore, we will have to face tough negotiations, spur on more innovation, gather new knowledge and mobilise more ambitious policies to get there,” he said.

“We now have a window of opportunity to develop an effective plastic treaty by the end of 2024,” added Espen Barth Eide, Norwegian minister of climate and environment.

The Global Rules Scenario
Estimated impacts of the policy interventions presented in the plastic policy report include:

• A 30% cut in global virgin plastic production by 2040 compared to 2019 (or 60% compared to 2040 levels in the Business-as-Usual Scenario), mainly by promoting reuse, recycling and limiting single-use plastics. Select developed economies might reduce  consumption by over 60%, while some developing countries might see up to a 50% rise due to growth factors.
• A 90% reduction in annual mismanaged plastics volumes by 2040 relative to 2019, driven by reduction, elimination and expansion of circularity.
• A sevenfold increase in global recycling output by 2040, from 29 million tonnes in 2019 to 201 million tonnes by 2040, achieved with the support of recycling targets, product design rules, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and fees on virgin plastics.
• Controlled disposal would be needed for waste that cannot be prevented or recycled. Select developed countries could see a 46% drop in controlled disposal volumes, while some developing countries would experience a 74% increase on 2019 levels, due to rapid population and economic growth outstripping the adoption of improved solutions.
• GHG emissions in 2040 would remain the same as 2019 levels but represent a mitigation of GHG emissions from the global plastic system of 40% relative to the 2040 levels in the Business-as-Usual Scenario. Significant additional measures to further reduce virgin plastic production, decarbonising energy supply or electrify production processes would be required to limit global warming to 1.5C.

According to Yoni Shiran, partner and plastics lead at Systemiq, implementation of this package of measures could take us a long way in the journey towards ending plastic pollution by 2040. “The suggested policy package presents a starting point,” he said, rather than as a comprehensive solution. rather than as a comprehensive solution.Even with the implementation of these measure, the report calculated that 3 million tonnes of plastics would remain mismanaged, including 5 million tonnes of microplastics, resulting in negative impacts on both human health and the environment, and that further innovation, research, and data would be required.

“Plastic pollution knows no borders. It’s a challenge that demands collective international action. Denmark is committed to being a part of the solution, advocating for a global, legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution by 2040 in order to protect our environment and communities,”  said Magnus Heunicke, Danish minister of the environment.

Business as usual is not an option
“Throughout its lifecycle, plastics result in greenhouse gas emissions that threaten our global climate commitments. This report underscores that significant measures will be required,” said Romina Pourmokhtari, Swedish minister of climate and the environment.

Without global action, the annual levels of mismanaged plastics would continue to rise and could almost double from 110 million tonnes in 2019 to 205 million tonnes by 2040, an increase of 86%. Annual plastic waste generation could grow from 385 million tonnes in 2019 to 646 million tonnes by 2040, a trend driven by population and consumption growth, both of which are also proportionally higher in regions that currently lack the necessary resources and infrastructure to manage waste.

“Based on the report, it is evident that a globally binding agreement could trigger a set of policy actions to move us from the unsustainable business-as-usual to business based on circularity,” concluded Kai Mykkänen, Finnish minister of climate and the environment.

The full study, ‘Towards Ending Plastic Pollution by 2040’ can be downloaded from the Nordic Council website.