In the middle of this week, an international ministerial conference was held to prepare a global agreement against marine litter and the pollution of the environment with plastic waste. The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) and PlasticsEurope Deutschland (PED), the association of plastics producers, are in favor of the global effort. The conference was also convened at the initiative of Germany’s environment minister to push for a global agreement ahead of the UN Environment Assembly in spring 2022.
“Plastic waste has no place in the environment. It must be collected and recycled. A global agreement against marine litter can make a valuable contribution to this. In this way, we not only protect the oceans, but also the climate. The agreement should not focus on plastics, but on consumer goods in general that are carelessly disposed of in the environment.”
— Ingemar Bühler, chief executive of PED
In March 2011, plastics associations set solutions against marine litter in motion with a global declaration. Currently, some 395 projects are underway or completed worldwide, including for better waste management, beach cleanups and educating local people. Innovative solutions for recycling and reuse of plastics play an important role in waste management. Therefore, Bühler points out, “Promoting innovative technologies for the circular economy should be a key concern in a global agreement. In the end, the aim must be to use waste to manufacture new products and thus conserve resources.”
The German chemical industry also sees a great opportunity in the recycling of plastics: “Plastics are far too good to end up as waste in the environment. If they are recycled, this reduces the use of fossil raw materials and protects the climate. This is where we need to rethink in parts: That’s why we are massively pushing complementary technologies such as chemical recycling,” adds Wolfgang Große Entrup, CEO of the VCI.
