Dow supports INC-5 talks to end plastic pollution

Heading into the fifth and final negotiating session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-5) in Busan, Korea, the world is on the verge of reaching a legally binding agreement to end plastic pollution.

Major plastics and polymer manufacturers like Dow fully support an agreement that will eliminate plastic pollution and improve climate change mitigation while preserving the enormous benefits of plastics to our society. Given the growing demand for plastic around the world and the inadequate waste management systems in many countries, encouraging more sustainable production and tackling the growing problem of plastic waste are urgent priorities.

At the same time, the agreement must avoid the pitfalls of limiting production of a material that is both an essential building block in many sectors and vital to achieving our sustainable development goals, including a low-emission economy, clean water and food security.

Truly sustainable manufacturing goes beyond production volume: it includes using alternative raw materials and plastic waste, creating products that provide both sustainability and performance, and implementing low-emission manufacturing.

Bringing plastic waste back into the circular economy as a raw material – using the energy and chemicals it contains – is critical to developing all forms of sustainable production. To achieve our shared ambitions, we must come together and create a circular economy that will change the way the world produces, uses, recycles and reuses plastic.

Without a global agreement, the private sector is already investing $32 billion each year to help develop the circular economy. A supportive, clear and consistent global policy framework will encourage additional funding. To achieve real results, any agreement must create and develop an environment that promotes innovation and investment at scale, including circularity factors such as sustainable design standards, recycled content requirements, national recycling targets and extended producer responsibility (EPR) in national countries. action plans.

Circularity starts with design. Up to 80% of a product’s overall environmental impact depends on design decisions, from the volume of materials included in a product to whether it can be easily washed and reused. The global agreement should encourage the adoption of international design standards for specific industries and applications to ensure that products can be used for as long as possible.And recycled at the end of use. Be it recyclable, metal-free coffee packaging; tubes for toothpaste; shrink films; or cable sheaths made from recycled material, we are seeing huge advances in sustainable design that could change the way plastic is used and treated after use.

To be most effective, the agreement should also stimulate demand by setting requirements for the amount of recycled materials used in products. This is a smart policy lever that not only causes more plastic waste to be recycled back into the manufacturing process, but also reduces the risks of circular investment by creating a stable market for these materials. Important progress has already been made in accelerating implementation of these mandates, including through the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in the European Union and bipartisan legislation in the United States.

Likewise, the agreement could increase the available supply of recycled materials by encouraging countries to adopt recycling targets. Brazil, for example, has adopted a National Solid Waste Management Plan that sets an ambitious goal of increasing recycling rates to 48% by 2040. Plans like these help stimulate the circular economy.

Progress is being made, but today less than 10% of plastic is recycled worldwide, and 32% of plastic packaging eludes collection systems. These statistics reflect the sad reality that existing funding and policy frameworks for the waste management ecosystem are insufficient. The global agreement should change this, including by encouraging countries to adopt well-designed EPR or similar policies as part of their national or subnational action plans to increase demand for circular plastics and encourage even more investment in the chain. If done correctly, EPR policies will lead to more recycled content and higher recycling rates, while promoting a just transition and creating jobs for today’s waste collectors around the world.

The dynamics and convergence of EPR policies are growing around the world – and for good reason. Belgium has one of the oldest EPR schemes, dating back to the 1990s, whereby packaged product companies are financially responsible for the end-of-life phase of the product through participation in a Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) called FostPlus. FostPlus has pioneered the use of blue ‘PMD’ bags, allowing households to responsibly recycle plastic packaging, metal packaging and drinks cartons. FostPlus collects, sorts and processes waste. The company is also continually investing in expanding the types of waste it collects and processes. Today Belgium recycles 68% of plastic packaging, exceeding even EU targets.

Finally, just as important as the content of the agreement is how it is implemented. Countries can have the same results-based goals but start from very different positions. An effective agreement must ensure transparency, accountability and external accountability, while balancing requirements with opportunities to build countries’ capacity and the funding needed to support them.

A successful agreement could end the leakage of plastic waste into the environment while maintaining the key benefits of this valuable material to our society, especially given the social impact. Through concerted collaboration between stakeholders, a circular plastics economy is within reach. We want to see a practical, sustainable and implementable agreement and cannot miss this opportunity to take advantage of it.