Technological watch
American Chemistry Council Stresses Urgent Need for Investment in Waste Management to Solve Ocean Litter, Calls for Ongoing Global Cooperation at G7 Meeting
HALIFAX (September 20, 2018) – Addressing an audience of key stakeholders at the G7 Meeting of Environment, Oceans and Energy Ministers, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) today shared its latest progress and ambitious commitments to help end plastic waste in the environment.
Keith Christman, ACC’s managing director of plastics markets, said U.S. plastics producers have committed to all plastic packaging being re-used, recycled or recovered by 2040 with an interim goal of all plastic packaging being recyclable or recoverable by 2030. Plastics makers in Canada and Europe have set similar goals, helping to provide a consistent framework for a more circular, global plastics economy.
“U.S. plastics makers share a deep commitment to ending plastic waste and are working swiftly with our global partners to drive meaningful change,” said Christman. “Success will require innovations in design, new business models, and developing the technology and infrastructure that will capture the full value of the plastics we use today so they provide our resources and raw materials for tomorrow.”
Christman emphasized the urgent need for all stakeholders to find new ways to work together to stop the flow of trash into the ocean, citing multiple studies that point to expansion of waste management systems as the fastest and most effective way to solve this problem.
“Leading plastics producers are working together to facilitate investments and accelerate deployment of solutions where gaps in waste management are currently the greatest,” said Christman. “We are committed to driving positive and lasting changes in how we source, capture, use, and reuse plastics to help protect our planet, clean up our oceans, and enable people to live better.”
Since 2011, ACC has helped lead the implementation of a global declaration on solutions for plastic litter. Today, more than 75 plastics associations in 40 countries have signed on to the declaration, and cumulatively they have undertaken 355 projects to help solve this problem. For example, the World Plastics Council and ACC both support Circulate Capital, new impact-focused investment firm, which directs funding toward the development of waste management infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia.
Keith Christman, ACC’s managing director of plastics markets, said U.S. plastics producers have committed to all plastic packaging being re-used, recycled or recovered by 2040 with an interim goal of all plastic packaging being recyclable or recoverable by 2030. Plastics makers in Canada and Europe have set similar goals, helping to provide a consistent framework for a more circular, global plastics economy.
“U.S. plastics makers share a deep commitment to ending plastic waste and are working swiftly with our global partners to drive meaningful change,” said Christman. “Success will require innovations in design, new business models, and developing the technology and infrastructure that will capture the full value of the plastics we use today so they provide our resources and raw materials for tomorrow.”
Christman emphasized the urgent need for all stakeholders to find new ways to work together to stop the flow of trash into the ocean, citing multiple studies that point to expansion of waste management systems as the fastest and most effective way to solve this problem.
“Leading plastics producers are working together to facilitate investments and accelerate deployment of solutions where gaps in waste management are currently the greatest,” said Christman. “We are committed to driving positive and lasting changes in how we source, capture, use, and reuse plastics to help protect our planet, clean up our oceans, and enable people to live better.”
Since 2011, ACC has helped lead the implementation of a global declaration on solutions for plastic litter. Today, more than 75 plastics associations in 40 countries have signed on to the declaration, and cumulatively they have undertaken 355 projects to help solve this problem. For example, the World Plastics Council and ACC both support Circulate Capital, new impact-focused investment firm, which directs funding toward the development of waste management infrastructure in South and Southeast Asia.
This project has been co-funded with the support of the LIFE financial instrument of the European Union [LIFE17 ENV/ES/000438] Life programme
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