Let's Find Solutions to Beat Plastic Pollution.
If the global community can deliver, plastic pollution could fall by 80% by 2040.
Analyzing the situation.
First, there are stark negative economic costs of plastic pollution, running in the hundreds of USD billions annually, destroying infrastructure, impacting energy production and tourism revenue, clogging our drains and flooding our cities, and potentially impacting human health through exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Second, the starting point for change is to eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastics. Three shifts are then required: accelerating the market for reusable products, accelerating the recycling market, and reorienting and diversifying the market for sustainable and safe plastic alternatives.
Third, we need to take a full life-cycle approach to plastics – by rethinking every stage from the design of products and systems, plastic production, use, recovery and disposal. Redesign of packaging, systems and products is crucial. Chemical engineers and manufacturers have to get creative, both on products and packaging instead of defaulting to plastic when designing products. Finally, we also need to ensure the safe disposal of whatever is not yet designed to be circular and deal with a significant legacy of existing plastic pollution.
First, there are stark negative economic costs of plastic pollution, running in the hundreds of USD billions annually, destroying infrastructure, impacting energy production and tourism revenue, clogging our drains and flooding our cities, and potentially impacting human health through exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Second, the starting point for change is to eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastics. Three shifts are then required: accelerating the market for reusable products, accelerating the recycling market, and reorienting and diversifying the market for sustainable and safe plastic alternatives.
Third, we need to take a full life-cycle approach to plastics – by rethinking every stage from the design of products and systems, plastic production, use, recovery and disposal. Redesign of packaging, systems and products is crucial. Chemical engineers and manufacturers have to get creative, both on products and packaging instead of defaulting to plastic when designing products. Finally, we also need to ensure the safe disposal of whatever is not yet designed to be circular and deal with a significant legacy of existing plastic pollution.
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