Plastic, Circles & Panda Bears

What’s the relationship between #plastic consumption in the UAE and a female Panda bear?

As we learnt yesterday at MoCCaE UAE 's Dynamics of Circularity Series workshop, over a period of a year each of us are responsible for the consumption of?more than 100kg of plastic?(the average weight of a female Panda bear).??To emphasise the unhealthy dependency even further, just 8 years ago (2014)?each of us in the #UAE consumed ~30kg of #plastic. That's a significant increase in consumption which doesn't offer any surprise to the fact that trade in plastics accounts for 3.6% of total world trade.

Trade in plastics accounts for 3.6% of total world trade

With the gravity of those figures sinking in, it’s easy to immediately focus on the waste end of the problem i.e. how do we get rid of this #plastic???And traditionally, that’s the strategy we’ve deployed that's lead to perpetuating an unsustainable ‘take, make and dispose of’ production and consumption process.??Enter, the #circulareconomy?– not a new concept but one that offers enormous economic potential for the #hospitality, #tourism and #foodservice sectors while also addressing the finite capacity of #naturalcapital for which we all vitally depend.

If you’re new to this #circular model, think of it as putting more thought into #redesigning, #repurposing, #reducing, #reusing, #repairing, #recycling and #replacing – a mindset of #restoration and #regeneration that is built on a foundation of practicality.?

If you’re still unsure of how it relates to your #business, I would recommend taking an interest in the #UAE’s Circular Economy Policy, a 10-year plan released in 2021 that prioritises four main sectors to adopt #circulareconomy strategies in order to meaningfully contribute to #national economic goals.??In terms of broader connectivity, it’s worth highlighting that those four sectors intersect with a wider economic landscape that contribute to the UAE’s #NetZero by #2050 commitments. Important ground work has already been accomplished through collaborations such as the CIRCLE Coalition who are working at enabling a circular economy for post-consumer packaging. Collectively, the development of policies and industry initiatives, synergistically link to the achievement of?SDG12?Sustainable Consumption and Production (United Nations #SustainableDevelopment Goals).

Understanding #circularity completely changes the perspective about plastic waste as a problem to plastic waste as a resource and #economic opportunity.

That’s when it’s useful to recognise that not all plastic is #equal when it comes to #recyclability.??PET plastic bottles for instance, have one of the lowest (if not the lowest) carbon footprint because they can be easily recycled. They suit a #closedloop recycling system because they can be made into other products - such as more bottles, other packaging or polyester yarn used for fabrics.

Far from thinking more plastic is the answer, I’m suggesting consideration of the bigger?picture with a thorough understanding that every material has an impact at every stage of its lifecycle.??We cannot deny the detrimental cost #plasticpollution continues to have on our environment - especially on the health of our #oceans and #marine ecosystems which play critical roles in our #planetaryhealth.

40% of our plastic waste ends up in landfill

It’s therefore important to know how and what’s involved in material recyclability especially when there are many alternative packaging options being promoted as ‘greener’. Good questions to ask are how much of the material is recyclable and what’s involved in the process i.e. how much energy is necessary to recycle it (which contributes to increased carbon emissions).??Another valid consideration is infrastructure capability and whether the recycling services industry is adequately set up and equipped to deal with this waste. This of course, was the main reason for bringing industry stakeholders together yesterday to discuss the opportunities and challenges with new policies.

It's very rare that a problem can be fixed with one silver bullet. If you look at just one impact, you are not considering the whole story and although unintentional, you may be creating or worsening another environmental issue.??

Many thanks again to the leadership team at the ????? ?????? ??????? ??????? Ministry of Climate Change and Environment for hosting a productive discussion in an inspiring venue, Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTI Park)