With growing awareness of the scale and urgency needed to address marine litter, plastics industry leaders (American Chemistry Council, British Plastics Federation, Chemical Industries Association, PlasticsEurope and World Plastics Council) asked leading academic, sustainability and finance experts to provide their thoughts on effective solutions. Those voices and perspectives are highlighted in a video unveiled at the Chemical Industries Association’s (CIA) annual conference on 15 November in London.
Marine litter is a global challenge, and plastics manufacturers together with their value chains and other stakeholders are strongly committed to playing a leading role in preventing plastics from leaking into the environment and providing concrete solutions. This will include prevention, innovation, and basic waste collection, sorting and treatment where they are most needed, as well as engaging with public and private sector stakeholders to provide education. Experts agree that stemming the tide will require new circular business models, as well as significant investment in waste management, particularly in countries that have yet to invest in systems and infrastructure to manage and repurpose waste.
The advantages of plastics in our daily lives are countless: plastics allow us to do more with less, helping to avoid food waste, save energy in our homes and decrease CO2 emissions. However, plastic makers agree that plastics have no place in the environment, and they are certainly too valuable to be littered or thrown away.
The five-minute video features world renowned professionals in the plastics sector who bring global perspectives, namely Richard Thompson OBE – Professor of Marine Biology, University of Plymouth, Patrick Thomas – Founder of the World Plastics Council, Robert Kaplan – Founder/CEO, Circulate Capital, Nina Goodrich – Director, Sustainable Packaging Coalition and Anton de Vries – Director, Enerkem.