Latest news with #plasticsindustry
Sky News
05-08-2025
- Science
- Sky News
'David and Goliath battle' as talks begin over deal to reduce plastic pollution
The scientist who first raised the alarm over microplastics in the world's oceans has warned of a "David vs Goliath" battle between scientists and the plastics industry - as delegates begin to negotiate a global deal to reduce plastic pollution. As United Nations talks begin this week, Professor Richard Thompson, head of the International Marine Litter unit at Plymouth University, said: "We're seeing some coercion and some pressure being put by some of those that have got conflicts of interest that fear they stand to lose from the treaty progress." Representatives of 175 countries will meet in Switzerland today, for what should be a final round of negotiations over a legally binding treaty to reduce plastic pollution. The United Nations says while some countries are taking action on plastic, pollution is a global problem that needs a global agreement - but there is no official scientific presence at the talks. Professor Thompson, who is attending the negotiations, said: "We're only there as observers with a limited capacity to speak, whereas those from the industry have got a massive vested interest. They're funded to be there. And it's a bit of a David and Goliath battle." He continued: "It concerns me that I see some nations that are taking an increasingly short-sighted view, a view that's perhaps driven by political cycles or short-run profits. "You know, we need those leaders of countries, those negotiators, to take the long-term view to protect our planet for future generations." More than 430 million tonnes of plastic is produced each year. But according to environmental charity WWF, around 11 million tonnes end up in the ocean each year as pollution. And that's expected to rise to 29 million tonnes a year by 2040. There is wide consensus among countries that plastic pollution is a problem, but they are split over what to do about it. The UK and more than 70 other nations that are part of a "High Ambition Coalition" want production and consumption of plastic reduced to sustainable levels. But major oil producing nations and the chemical industry oppose any cuts. The previous round of talks, in South Korea last year, collapsed in disagreement. Professor Thompson is a founding member of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty. 'Strong treaty' still possible He said previous negotiations have been swamped by lobbyists from the chemicals industry putting pressure on delegates - and that if a good agreement cannot be achieved, leading countries should look to work outside the United Nations framework. Professor Thompson said: "Given that there are more than 100 nations that are already backing the level of ambition that's required, I think it could be possible to take this out of the UN process, to have a strong treaty that will function to end plastic pollution, to start with those 100 or 120 or so countries and to add others over time. "I think there'll be a realisation for those that aren't on board initially, that if they don't join forces with that coalition of the willing, they're going to suffer in terms of their own international trade and that it's better to be part of that strong treaty than not to be." Plastic is so widely used because it's cheap, durable and can take many forms. So production of new plastic will only fall if better use can be made of the material that already exists. The company Project Plan B is working with the charity The Salvation Army to recycle polyester textiles. They've installed the first machine of its kind to turn the material into plastic pellets that can be used to make yarn for new clothes. 'Terrible waste' Just a handful of the pellets is enough to make a T-shirt. Tim Cross, the director of Project Plan B, said the aim is to make the recycling process a closed loop, so as little as possible escapes as waste or pollution. "This makes much better use of that plastic," he said. "If we're wasting it and losing it into the environment, that's a terrible waste, and we mustn't allow that to happen." The UK produces around 700,000 tonnes of textile waste each year. Almost all is landfilled or incinerated. A major problem is that most clothes are made of mixed materials, which makes it uneconomical to recycle them. A polyester shirt may have nylon buttons and cotton thread. But Project Plan B has been working with school uniform maker David Luke on a blazer made completely out of polyester and 100% recyclable. "These garments normally last on children's backs for a couple of years and used as goalposts a few times. And then what?" said Mr Cross. "We wanted to make sure that we can fully recycle the blazer through the system that we've got here, so we had to completely redesign it. "This is groundbreaking, changing the way that clothing can be made.
Forbes
09-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Advanced Recycling ‘False Solution' To Plastic Crisis, Study Finds
SAN FRANCISCO - MARCH 2: Recycled plastic bottles are seen at the San Francisco Recycling Center ... More March 2, 2005 in San Francisco, California. Bottled water is the single largest growth area among all beverages, more than doubling over the last decade. Only about 12 percent of plastic bottles, mostly water, were recycled in 2003, according to industry consultant R.W. Beck, Inc. Since most bottled water is consumed away from home where recycling isn't an option, an estimated 40 million bottles a day go into the trash or become litter. (Photo by) Advanced recycling processes offer nothing more than a 'false solution' to the plastic waste crisis, according to a new analysis. The report by the Center for Climate Integrity claims advanced recycling processes are not environmentally friendly, do not address the problem of hard-to-recycle mixed plastics and do not enable a circular economy. Advanced recycling is a term used to describe various chemical recycling processes, which break down plastics into their constituent elements. The process is different to mechanical recycling, which uses machinery to physically shred plastics into smaller pieces. The report argues the plastics industry presents advanced recycling as new and groundbreaking, but processes for the chemical recycling of plastics were patented as early as the 1950s. It also says the plastics industry has promised advanced recycling is scaling up and will soon be sufficiently developed to address the global waste crisis, despite various economic and technical limitations. And many chemical recycling processes produce a host of hazardous pollutants and are extremely energy-intensive, despite claims they are environmentally friendly. The report also says the plastics industry defines advanced recycling as "circular," even though these processes do not keep plastic in the production cycle and do not reduce or offset the production of virgin plastic made from fossil fuels. The report states the plastics industry has long acknowledged the public's concerns about the environmental impacts of plastics and presents advanced recycling as a way to resolve those issues. And it claims experts' concerns about the environmental impacts of chemical recycling have been largely ignored by the industry. Report author Davis Allen said industry insiders have made clear, again and again, these technologies will not address plastic pollution at any meaningful scale in a statement. Ocean Conservancy's director of plastics policy, Dr. Anja Brandon said the new study confirms chemical recycling is not the answer to plastic pollution in a statement. Dr. Brandon added chemical recycling technologies are expensive, inefficient, and harmful to environmental and public health. 'We already know that using less single-use plastics, improvements to existing mechanical recycling, and cleaning up the plastics that do end up in the environment are proven to be effective in combating the plastic pollution crisis,' she said. 'The timing of this report is more important than ever, as the plastics industries attempt to push chemical recycling instead of proven solutions at the state, federal, and international levels.' But Matthew Kastner, a spokesman for the American Chemistry Council's plastics division said groups who claim advanced recycling 'isn't real' appear to be ignoring science, innovation, and measurable results in a statement. Kastner added reports built on selective data and anti-plastic agendas do nothing to advance real environmental progress. 'Advanced recycling is already making a real impact—turning used plastics into new materials, conserving resources, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to using virgin plastic,' he added. 'America's plastic makers are investing billions of dollars to expand recycling capacity and improve efficiency while advocating for smart policies that enhance collection and sorting so more plastics can be remade into new products.' In November 2023, Oceana released the results of a nationwide poll, which found over 70% of respondents are concerned about the negative impacts of chemical recycling. And more than three-quarters (79%) were concerned about the serious health risks associated with toxic chemical emissions from chemical recycling plants. Additionally, 76% of those surveyed said they were concerned about the disproportionate impact on neighborhoods near chemical recycling plants.
