Statement at the UNEA-7 Roundtable Organised by the Government of Norway
During the policy event “Towards Greater Alignment through the Plastic Value Chain: Unlocking Economic Benefits and Increasing Circularity” the Alliance was invited to provide a brief statement that underscored the economic opportunities of a circular economy. Our full statement is presented here.
As an organisation made up of companies that span the entire plastics value chain, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste supports an enabling global policy framework to address plastic pollution. We also believe that this is a critical moment for industry to develop, demonstrate and implement economically viable solutions on waste management and recycling that have the potential for scaling and replication.
Our work across some 80 projects in 30 countries has demonstrated that there is greater economic opportunity when products and packaging are designed to be optimised in their post-use phase – to narrow the gap between what can technically be recycled and recovered and what actually is. Material and design decisions can make post-use plastic difficult, uneconomical, or even impossible to collect, sort and recycle.
Part of the challenge stems from a lack of common global standards. This has led to a large variety of packaging materials and formats and a corresponding variety of recycling infrastructure and systems, which may not exist in all markets. This represents a loss in the value of plastics that could be processed for recycling or recovery.
Factoring in sorting and recycling processes from the outset, including infrastructure needs, local context and socio-economic considerations, can improve the efficiency and quality of recycling, increase its value while lowering cost. This can expand the share of economically recyclable plastic from about 22% today to 54% by 2040 [1].
The Alliance believes that a global enabling policy framework and harmonised targets will aid all of us in transitioning to a circular economy for plastics and deliver the economic, environmental, and social benefits the world needs.
The global plastics treaty was not concluded at the end of 2024 as hoped, and advocacy alone is no longer enough. Progress is only possible through the addition of coordinated action and collaboration. The Alliance has always been focused on action and we invite others to join us.
[1] Source: Pew Charitable Trusts
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