A scientific report proposes a better use of plastics.
Thanks to chemists, physicists, and also biologists, we have plastics. As their characteristics have been diversified and adapted, we use these synthetic materials for a quantity of purposes. How could we do today without plastics ?
However, warns a recent EASAC’s report, Packaging plastics in the circular economy, plastics have become a problem with the “leakage of millions of tons of plastic waste into the marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments”.
The topic is directly related to SDGs 6 (Clean water and sanitation), 14 (Life below water) and 15 (Life on land). But also it has to do with SDGs 3 (Good health and well being), as micropastics can also be found in our bodies, 11 (Sustainable cities and communities), and 12 (Responsible consumption and production). A perfect exemaple of how SDGs are interconnected.
The EASAC group that conducted this scientific review makes 7 recommendations for EU policy makers (but lawmakers from other parts of the globe could also think about them):
- Ban export of plastic waste
- Adopt a target of zero plastic waste to landfill, minimise consumption and one-way use
- Extend producer responsibility
- End misleading about bio-based alternatives
- Advanced recycling and reprocessing technology
- Limiting additives and types of resin to improve recyclability
- Price regulations and quota for recycled content
Read the full release by EASAC on their website, and download the report there.
