Mexico City — Mexico's national plastics industry association is engaging with legislators planning to ban single-use plastics in one of the country's most economically active states, it says.
In a Spanish-language statement, emailed to Plastics News, a sister publication of Sustainable Plastics, on Feb. 1, Anipac (Asociación Nacional de Industrias del Plástico, A.C.) also expressed concern that anti-plastic legislation in the State of Mexico may lead to job losses and company closures.
The state, one of 32 federal entities, has more plastics-related companies than any other in Mexico, according to Anipac.
Its governor, Delfina Gómez Álvarez, ordered modifications to the so-called state Biodiversity Code in January, with the association describing her intervention as "commendable."
Members of congress are considering measures including a ban on all single-use plastics, from drinking straws to polystyrene cups, according to multiple local news media.
"For Anipac, it's extremely important to be able to collaborate with the [state] government and to be considered a source of information" about the circular economy, the organization told Plastics News when asked to comment on the governor's initiative.
The association said it is willing to cooperate with authorities, academia and society in providing statistics, quantitative studies, technical information and projects such as PR campaigns that encourage trash separation.
"In recent years, the circular economy has been a pillar of change for the [plastics] industry, promoting the use of materials or products for the longest time possible and avoiding [additional] waste generation," Anipac added.
"But achieving circularity is not simple and is not achieved overnight. It's a process that must be organized and grounded in clear legal principles."
Anipac said it is well positioned to appreciate the "viability and scope" of the circular economy.