In a groundbreaking report released ahead of World Environment Day 2023, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has unveiled an ambitious roadmap that outlines achievable strategies for reducing plastic pollution worldwide by 80% by 2040. By harnessing existing technologies, countries and companies can make profound policy and market shifts to bring about transformative change.
Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of UNEP, emphasized the urgent need for action: “The way we produce, use, and dispose of plastics is polluting ecosystems, posing risks to human health, and destabilizing the climate. This UNEP report presents a roadmap that will significantly mitigate these risks through the adoption of a circular approach, keeping plastics out of ecosystems, out of our bodies, and within the economy. By embracing this roadmap, including during negotiations on a global plastic pollution agreement, we can achieve substantial economic, social, and environmental victories.”
The report highlights three key market shifts necessary to achieve the desired reduction in plastic pollution:
- Reuse: Encouraging the adoption of reusable options such as refillable bottles, bulk dispensers, deposit-return schemes, and packaging take-back initiatives could reduce plastic pollution by 30% by 2040. Governments must play a crucial role in fostering a stronger business case for reusables.
- Recycle: By making recycling a stable and profitable venture, an additional 20% reduction in plastic pollution by 2040 can be achieved. This involves eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, enforcing design guidelines to enhance recyclability, and implementing other measures to increase the proportion of economically recyclable plastics from 21% to 50%.
- Reorient and Diversify: Carefully replacing plastic wrappers, sachets, and takeaway items with alternatives made from materials like paper or compostable substances can lead to a further 17% decrease in plastic pollution.
However, even with these measures in place, an annual 100 million metric tons of plastics from single-use and short-lived products will still require safe disposal by 2040, along with addressing the significant existing plastic pollution.
To tackle this challenge, the report recommends implementing design and safety standards for the disposal of non-recyclable plastic waste, while holding manufacturers accountable for products that shed microplastics.
It also underscores the importance of internationally agreed policies that transcend national boundaries and business actions, fostering a thriving global circular plastics economy, unlocking new business opportunities, and generating employment.
The report suggests that a global fiscal framework should be part of international policies to level the playing field for recycled materials compared to virgin materials.
This framework can create economies of scale for solutions, establish monitoring systems, and provide financing mechanisms.
Crucially, policymakers are urged to adopt an approach that integrates regulatory instruments and policies addressing actions throughout the lifecycle of plastics, as these measures reinforce one another and drive transformative change.
The report further provides specific policy recommendations, including standards for design, safety, compostable and biodegradable plastics, minimum recycling targets, extended producer responsibility schemes, taxes, bans, communication strategies, public procurement, and labeling.
By embracing these visionary strategies, we can steer the world towards a future with significantly reduced plastic pollution, paving the way for a sustainable and thriving planet.
Read the full report here https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/un-roadmap-outlines-solutions-cut-global-plastic-pollution
