As we enter a phase of unprecedented environmental backlash, the question of the plastics lifecycle is all but a timely one. 175 nations from all around the world recently gathered in Geneva to propose a common effort to the global plastic waste concern with little to no solution as discussions lagged on the dominant problems overflowing transboundary waters.
As part of the official UAE Delegation, I kept but noticing the absence of any proactive proposal to circumvent the many limitations governments face today in tackling the dependance on plastics growing threefold, with minimal attention paid to the endless recycling possibilities available in the market.
The current recycled plastic industry faces many challenges which are hard to address without standardized, globally accepted practices and quality control.
Though recycling is projected to grow at a faster pace than all other waste management approaches, increasing from 9 percent in 2019 to 17 percent in 2060 – it is still projected to represent a smaller share of waste management compared to incineration (18 percent) and sanitary landfilling (50 percent).
Eliminating plastic pollution is possible but requires strong global action, at a public and private level and efforts to tackle plastic waste pollution will need to be both international and inter-generational.
Let us not forget plastics, as components of goods and as goods in their own right, represent a comparatively cheap, malleable, and durable material that has facilitated the advancement of our cultures and societies, bringing accessible learning opportunities to generations and attracting innovation throughout.
Single-serve packages of food and medication would not have been possible if not for the availability of low-cost plastics. Plastics also help energy conservation as well as energy production in cases such as wind-energy.
With increase in global population and greater per capita use in developing regions of the world, plastics as a material is destined to continue its impressive record of use into the foreseeable future. As such Rebound Plastic Exchange holds the necessary reins to empower the diversion of plastic away from landfills and broaden localized investment in infrastructure for the recovery and processing of materials.
Because recycling requires economies of scale to be successful, which means that feedstock needs to be available to processors and end-users – our platform fills a gap to truly enable countries which do not have high-end processing or the ability to absorb recycled content in the local manufacturing market to be able to trade with economies of scale in resource recovery and use of materials.
The demand for plastics has fueled continuous innovation and material recycling of used plastics into other products (or even the same product) is a key strategy in conservation of fossil fuels and avoidance of externalities, and critical if ambitious environmental targets are to be met. Ignoring recycling opportunities means the plastics lifecycle will only be 14 percent circular in 2060.
Without modifications to current practices, plastics will continue to accumulate in the environment, particularly the ocean, with adverse consequences for ecosystems and society. In the past three years, large global brands have made pledges to increase their recycled content to 20-30 percent by 2025.
Yet, there is an expected gap of 6.3 million tons in the supply of recycled content required by global brands to include in their products. With the platform we have built, with proper quality certification and assurance, plastic will be able to be used by a wider scope of companies as they meet their commitments on using higher percentages of recycled plastic in their products or packaging. This will create jobs, innovation and reduced plastic pollution.
This ethic of collective social responsibility, along with the current infrastructure for collecting recyclable waste streams gives the country a strong foundation for the future. But more recycling of plastic waste that will otherwise incinerated (in waste-to-energy plants) is environmentally desirable.
With youth set to inherit the challenge of cleaning up the Earth, a behavior shift in production, consumption and waste management is urgently needed – and Rebound Plastic Exchange (RPX) is ready to take up that challenge.
Maryam AlMansoori, General Manager at Rebound Ltd.
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