Newsletter #9.2023 on Waste Management in Africa and Transition to a Circular Economy

South Africa

·??????Plastics and organic chemicals are now part of a growing list of South African exports which will be negatively impacted by the EU's policy to penalize goods due to the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. https://www.news24.com/fin24/climate_future/news/sa-plastics-and-organic-chemicals-next-to-be-hit-by-eu-carbon-border-tax-20230302. At the same time there is a pressure for mandatory emissions disclosure as the world and South Africa strive for net zero. This means that there is a potential for the SA plastic industry to decrease its dependency on coal by using more recycling plastic. Recycling is one of the few economically viable and impactful decarbonization levers available immediately. For example, total emissions for virgin material are about 2.78 kg CO2 per kg PET produced compared to 0.91 for rPET when analyze as independent lifecycles. ??

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·??????The South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) has warned against vague claims that plastics?are?environment friendly or nonpolluting. It says manufacturers that wish to claim their plastic?packaging?is degradable need to subject the?packaging?to the relevant?testing?and certification requirements of the newly published South African National Standard (SANS) 1728. More to read: https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/sabs-warns-about-unverified-biodegradable-plastics-claims-2023-02-28

·??????Polystyrene is a controversial material, and many countries have banned its use for takeaway containers and other types of single-use packaging. However, this approach doesn’t work in every context. The CSIR conducted a life cycle and socio-economic assessment on polystyrene containers in 2022. The study found that polystyrene has the lowest carbon footprint of all packaging materials widely available in the country.?More to read: https://www.ewasa.org/the-state-of-polystyrene-recycling-in-south-africa/

In the world

·??????Businesses in plastics industry are facing a dual challenge of decarbonizing and reducing plastic waste. There is a pressure for mandatory emissions disclosure and at the same time, recycling is at the forefront of the industry sustainability agenda since it is one of the primary economically viable options to decarbonize quickly in the short term. However, according to this report, supply growth will be constrained in the next few years and . increasingly, imports will be considered in order to meet policy mandates and brand commitments. What are the considerations for intercontinental flow of recycled materials to consider, namely (i) how do ocean shipping emissions impact the green credentials of rPET for brands and carbon-reduction targets; (ii) Are there advantages to moving bales vs flake, and how does this compare to virgin equivalent? ?And (iii) What’s the impact of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism? ?More to read: https://storage.pardot.com/131501/1674640519kjCzZ00J/carbon_emissions_and_the_toll_of_plastics_recycling.pdf

More than 6.7 billion euros of investment is needed to achieve the European plastic recycling targets for 2025 - The European Investment Bank (EIB) points to this deficit (between 6.7 and 8.6 billion euros per year) in a new report. To quantify it, it assessed the EU's annual sorting and recycling capacities in 2023, with regard to the ambition that the EU has set itself: a plastic packaging recycling rate of 50% and use of 10 million tons of recycled plastics in new products by 2025. It thus estimates that an increase in sorting capacity is necessary to the tune of 4.2 million tons (Mt) of plastics per year, which corresponds to an investment range of between 2.1 and 2.9 billion euros per year. For recycling, annual capacities must be increased by 3.8 Mt per year, i.e. between 4.6 and 5.7 billion euros of investment. The EIB makes several financial and policy recommendations, including the introduction of price incentives, to “overcome the historical disadvantage” between recycled plastics and virgin materials. For example, it suggests imposing financial penalties (taxes, levies) on producers of virgin plastic materials or processors of complex plastic packaging, and promoting recycled plastics through lower tax rates. ?More to read: https://www.eib.org/fr/press/all/2023-084-plastic-pollution-new-study-finds-at-least-6-7-billion-investment-gap-to-meet-europe-plastics-recycling-targets

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·??????Whilst making it clear that?the real solution to plastic pollution lies in prevention and reuse measures, and an overall reduction in plastic use, the report notes that plastic cannot be endlessly mechanically recycled without reducing its properties and quality, and that not all plastic types can be mechanically recycled. These limits set challenges for plastics recycling and show the need for significant improvements in the end-of-life management of plastics.?Chemical Recycling could be a complementary solution to mechanical recycling where the latter is unsuited to materially recover plastic because it is too degraded, contaminated or too complex. On the flipside, it could also become the new plastics El Dorado if plastic to fuels is allowed.?It should also be taken into account that Chemical Recycling is not yet a mature technology, and is not viable in the short term and this is a key factor to consider when designing the EU Circular Economy. More to read: https://zerowasteeurope.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/zero_waste_europe_study_chemical_recycling_updated_en.pdf

·??????Why don't some people trust reusable containers? Psychology explains it (in which the?psychology of consumption?is applied to the reuse and reuse of packaging). Three studies try to identify what are the obstacles perceived by citizens in the face of forms of reuse and reuse of containers and packaging. To understand how to improve the service and make communication more effective. How long is a reused container "acceptable" for people? In short: how to make more efficient and "attractive" a system that inevitably involves some more "boredom" to people?. With the aim of?identifying barriers?in consumer perception, drawing ideas to improve service and communication and encouraging?change in behavior. The first thing to do is to work on packaging and life cycle analysis. If packaging is central, the first thing to do is to work on packaging to encourage reuse?and reuse. "If we know that consumers are not willing to reuse objects that appear worn, then from a design point of view?we must prevent that container from showing signs of wear or we must try to restore it so that it easily hides its provenance," Baird concludes. This means developing?containers that are resistant to frequent reuse?and repeated industrial washing and easy to clean for the citizen. In fact, Baird also noted, a?soft approach to giving information?has in all cases proved to be the best. "We found that on environmental issues,?the message works best when it's not energetic?or overly assertive." More to read: https://economiacircolare.com/riuso-contenitori-studi-universita-usa/

?The EU's Circular Economy transition for plastic and textiles: Opportunities and challenges for trade partners in emerging markets. As the circular economy agenda moves forward at pace, through policies and industry initiatives in consumer countries, there is a risk that it will create trade barriers for developing country producers. At the same time, there is a huge opportunity for producers who adopt circular strategies to become favoured suppliers in certain high value market segments. Developing country producers that implement a circular production strategy can both manage their environmental impacts and stay competitive in greening export markets. This policy paper, produced under the Switch to Circular Economy Value Chains project, assesses how EU policy is accelerating the circular economy transition, what implications this will have for global value chains, and how developing country producers may navigate changing markets.?More to read: https://www.switchtocircular.eu/publication/EU-circular-economy-policies-ChathamHouse-policy-paper?back

Global trade in plastic waste and scrap declined further (2017-2021) in 2021. The combined trade surplus of OECD Member Countries (i.e., the difference between exports and imports) continued to decrease. Less plastic waste and scrap is being exported by OECD countries to non-OECD countries, however some countries still export substantial volumes to non-OECD countries. Particularly several non-OECD south-east Asian countries remain large export destinations. At the same time, trade between OECD countries has increased. The value and composition of plastic waste and scrap exports in 2021 suggests that more high value and easy to recycle plastic waste was traded. The trade regime remains dynamic with new export destinations emerging, which deserve further monitoring. More to read: https://www.oecd.org/environment/monitoring-trade-in-plastic-waste-and-scrap-39058031-en.htm

France

The actors of the retailing/distribution sector can claim as of today a national label "anti-food waste" named 'Stars against waste'. This measure makes it possible to measure the "waste and waste reduction performance" of companies. A label that is part of the government's policy to reduce waste in food distribution by 50% by 2025. To be entitled to this "anti-food waste" label, a brand must "meet specifications" defined with the French Association for Standardization (Afnor) within the framework of the application of the law of February 2020 relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy (AGEC). More to read: https://www.boutique.afnor.org/fr-fr/norme/afnor-spec-2204/label-national-antigaspillage-alimentaire-referentiel-distribution-criteres/fa202307/343222 and https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/label-national-anti-gaspillage-alimentaire

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Rudologia publishes the 1st panorama of methods that can inspire the characterization of wild deposits. The result of 6 months of research and studies in 2022, this document summarizes in the form of 5 feedback sheets and 8 method sheets, practices used to characterize illegal dumping, former dumps, orphan sites, waste from natural disasters as well as polluted sites and soils. This panorama is aimed at all public and private actors who are responsible for the management and maintenance of spaces or who work to improve the living environment and protect the environment: municipalities, inter-municipalities, councils departments, State services, managers of natural areas and parks, coastlines, motorway concessionaires, design offices, environmental defense associations, More to read: https://www.rudologia.fr/medias/Rapport-final_Vf.pdf