Plastic is everywhere: it's found in everything from disposable face masks to cutting-edge aerospace composites. Plastics are more important than ever in modern life. However, in the context of the circular economy, plastic pollution is a cause for thought. Studies show that only 9% of the plastic produced between 1950 and 2015 was obtained**.
Plastic** technology
As the core technology of the current plastics industry, machinery is a mature technology, and its economic benefits and implementation methods have been widely known. However, this technology has its limitations when it comes to the types of plastics commonly used in consumer packaging, such as flexible plastics, multi-layer plastics, multi-material plastics, and specially formulated plastics. In addition, the application of machinery** in food packaging and some other materials of plastics is also relatively limited.
The new generation of advanced methods is capable of handling a wide range of difficult-to-treat plastics and is also suitable for materials that come into direct contact with food. These emerging technologies will play an important role in driving the plastics industry's transition to a circular economy.
Plastics** Current Situation
According to statistics, since 2018, only about 14%-18% of plastic has been obtained each year**. Another study, which began in 2017, showed that only 9% of the plastic produced between 1950 and 2015 was obtained**.
Plastic waste leaking into the ocean will also nearly triple – from 11 million tonnes in 2016 to 29 million tonnes by 2040. At this rate, the total amount of plastic accumulated in the ocean is likely to quadruple to nearly 600 million tonnes.
As public concern about plastic pollution grows, policymakers have begun to roll out a series of initiatives to curb plastic pollution, including upgrading the plastic** system.
Pull demand for plastics
In order to promote advanced new plastics, it is necessary to convince the industry and financing institutions that plastics have great market potential. Therefore, increasing demand for plastics** may be a good place to start, as it can boost new capacity, attract investment, and drive further innovation.
Ensure the ** of waste plastic
The plastics industry is in a state of imbalance: on the one hand, the demand for recycled plastics is surging, but on the other hand, the demand for waste plastics is still very limited. While further stimulating the demand for recycled plastics, the industry also needs to take corresponding measures to expand**.
This includes, but is not limited to:
a
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system
The EPR system can help alleviate the shortcomings of plastics in two ways.
First, the EPR encourages businesses to invest in waste collection, sorting and ** by requiring packaging producers, importers and brand owners to be responsible for the products that consumers use.
Second, the system requires brands to bear the cost of post-consumer product management, and is designed to encourage better material selection at the source. However, the devil is in the details.
b
Deposit Refund (DRS) system
Deposit Refund (DRS) systemRequiring consumers to pay a small, refundable deposit for each plastic container is one of the oldest and most effective policies to increase waste collection rates.
Germany introduced the DRS system as early as 2002, setting an example for EU member states. In Germany today, only 1 to 3 percent of non-reusable plastic bottles are not available**.
c
Many countries** have introduced policies that are in line with their national conditions
In 2021, 187 countries came together to create rules that significantly limit plastic waste and waste globally**. As China reduces its imports of plastic waste, the Basel Convention was adopted in 2019 to address the improper disposal of plastic waste and reduce plastic waste leaking into landfills and the environment.
The Basel Convention regulates the cross-border movement of most plastic waste and waste, and such items can only be transported with the prior written consent of the importing country and any transit country.
Plastics** financing
Financing plastics** is a huge challenge. According to rough estimates, to achieve the goal of 50% of the world's plastics by 2030, the plastics industry needs to have about 2300 million tons of ** production capacity. A significant portion of this capacity demand comes from Asia, Africa, Latin America and other emerging markets. Plastic consumption in these regions is growing rapidly, but investment is limited. As a result, Asian countries can increase their advanced** capacity to process large volumes of plastic waste to meet demand in North America or Europe.
It is very important to note,Policy makersPolicies that stimulate demand and optimize must create a more enabling environment for the development of advanced plastics** facilities, and allow market forces to drive private sector investment in this area, as the plastics** industry struggles to compete with landfills or incineration if it is a more economical way to dispose of plastics.