All solutions on deck! Multi-faceted problems need multi-faceted solutions

By Isabelle Des Chênes, Vice President, Policy, CIAC

Society benefits significantly from plastics, which often perform better than other materials and can have a lesser climate impact than many alternatives. Unfortunately, far too much plastic ends up in the environment. On April 23rd, delegates from around the world will convene in Ottawa to continue their negotiations towards a legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Canada’s plastics makers believe that we have a vital role to play and that an effective agreement will address the global problem of plastic pollution by creating a policy environment that enables circularity—that is, where plastics are sustainably produced, designed, used, reused, and recycled, instead of discarded.?

Having attended the first three negotiating sessions, it is abundantly clear that this is an incredibly complex problem and there is no single solution that will allow us keep plastics out of the environment and in the economy but a “circularity mindset” can serve as a useful anchor.

Creating a circular economy for plastics is a key part of the solution. The transition to a circular economy will reduce plastic pollution and GHG emissions, increase resource efficiency, enhance economic development, and create jobs, especially in the global South.?Circularity – as confirmed by the independent ReShaping Plastics report - is the fastest and most affordable lever for accelerating the transition to a sustainable plastics system.???And to scale up circularity, we must use an all-the-above strategy that includes designing products for circularity and leveraging innovations in collection, sorting, processing, and recycling such as state-of-the-art mechanical, chemical and organic recycling solutions.?

To further accelerate a global transition to plastics’ circularity, we need a policy and regulatory environment that encourages continued investment in innovations and projects by the private sector. Circular content mandates, well-designed extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs for all materials, and recyclability targets will help unleash and de-risk private sector investment both in Canada and around the world. And collaboration between product companies, retailers, plastic makers, and converters is necessary for designing products that are accepted in collection programs.

The plastics industry also supports governments’ efforts to accelerate sustainable consumption and production.? Indeed, plastics applications are essential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).?Aligned with SDG 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production, the agreement should help mobilize “financial and technical assistance to strengthen developing countries’ scientific, technological and innovative capacities to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.”??Sustainable production also means helping our value chains design for circularity (including but not limited to, reuse, repairability, refill and recycling), as well as incorporating recycled plastic waste as a feedstock or raw material in our production of new plastics.??Enhancing the deployment of new recycling technologies will enable more previously unrecycled plastic waste streams to be recycled and re-used at scale.?Increased use of circular feedstocks, including from recycled plastic waste, waste CO2, and other sources, will help diversify our feedstocks.?

While we have made good progress here in Canada, we recognize that more needs to be done. To help end plastic pollution and accelerate a circular economy for plastics, the global agreement should incentivize actions by all stakeholders, include specific global measures supporting effective implementation, foster multi-stakeholder participation in financing, and enable flexibility for national action plans while holding countries accountable. ?To achieve success, multiple stakeholders will need to take collection action and act in partnership on the various elements of the agreement. We call on all stakeholder to join forces and align on a common vision.