Plastic pollution is one of the environmental challenges that need to be addressed with the utmost urgency. In 2019, the Health and Environment Observatory^[1] report indicated that approximately 8 million metric tons of plastic are dumped into the oceans every year, which is equivalent to one truckload every minute. The report also noted that, if this trend continues, by 2025 there will be more plastic than fish in the sea and that by 2050 there could be more than 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste on Earth.

The world produces an estimated 430 million tonnes of plastic every year, two-thirds of which is used for a brief period of time. Every day, more than 2,000 truckloads of plastic waste are dumped into our oceans, rivers and lakes and plastic pollution is expected to triple by 2060, requiring urgent action now, which in turn makes it imperative to make profound changes in our relationship with plastic.

The article Perspectives on sustainable plastic treatment: A shift from linear to circular economy[2] indicates that the increase in plastic waste in the environment has become a significant contemporary challenge, raising growing concerns about its potential adverse effects. Out of the vast array of plastic in existence today, nearly 80% end up as waste. In the absence of reasonable treatment, these discarded plastics can contribute to significant pollution of aquatic and terrestrial environments.

The article also notes that plastics are the most harmful and persistent fraction of marine litter, accounting for at least 85% of all such waste. Plastic containers are the largest source (36%) of plastic production. Only about 9% of plastic waste is recycled after losses. This means that, even if all appropriate measures are taken, plastic still represents a threat.

As proposed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a life-cycle approach to plastic can help identify all possible impacts of plastic products and services and their alternatives (impacts on climate, nature, health, employment, economy, etc.) at each stage of the value chain.

If we are serious about tackling the root causes of plastic pollution, we must address all stages of the life cycle and reduce pollution and waste at each stage.

[1] https://2841087.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/2841087/DKV-%20IC%20Ebook%20/IC%20-%20Ebook%20-%20Contaminacion%20por%20plasticos/DKV-Ebook-Observatorio-pla%CC%81stico.pdf (https://dkv.es/corporativo/observatorio-contaminacion-por-plasticos-2019)

[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993624001134#bib1

In March 2022, at the Fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, Member States, in response to the serious global environmental, social and economic consequences, addressed the environmental problem of plastic pollution, including the marine environment. As a result, Resolution 5/14[1] agreed to build the first global instrument to reduce and curb plastic pollution worldwide, including the marine ecosystem, based on a comprehensive approach that addresses the entire life cycle of plastic. This resolution provides an opportunity to establish comprehensive global measures and mobilise the necessary resources to drive systemic change across the world's entire plastics value chain.

An important aspect of the many mandates and objectives set out in the resolution is that it provides for a comprehensive approach to dealing with plastic pollution, i.e. not only addressing the problem when plastics become waste, but also tackling the problem from the extraction and processing of raw materials to their design, manufacture, distribution, use and disposal.

To that end, a negotiating body was set up to draft the text, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), made up of delegates from member states. By July 2024, four of the five proposed sessions had been held, with the last session to take place in Busan, South Korea, in November 2024.

Although the main objective of the INC is to address the entire life cycle of plastic, ensuring responsibility from manufacture to disposal, throughout the four sessions held, the theme of the circular economy was present and the importance of driving the economic system with the vision of circular economy principles was highlighted. At the same time, in 2023, UNEP published a report entitled Turning off the tap: How the world can end plastic pollution and create a circular economy[2]”, which proposes a systemic approach to combat plastic pollution. These joint efforts represent a significant step forward in the fight against plastic pollution globally as the benefits of reducing plastic pollution extend beyond a specific goal of the 2030 Agenda and this problem affects several aspects of life on Earth.

The report Circular economy in Latin America and the Caribbean: opportunity for transformative recovery[3] highlighted that some countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have passed laws and regulations for the manufacture, import, sale, use and disposal of plastics. With these mechanisms, progress is being made in improving the management or increasing the rate of post-consumer recovery or recycling. It is important to remember that the Caribbean is the second most plastic-polluted sea in the world. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the region to implement actions to reduce the consumption of plastics in general and, in particular, the consumption of disposable (single-use) plastics and to eradicate the use of microplastics.

The report International Trade and the Circular Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean[4]” notes that there is an intrinsic link between the circular economy and international trade that needs to be explored further. As of 1 January 2018, China's ban on imports of non-industrial plastic waste has had environmental impacts in the countries of origin and has shown that the circular economy cannot be addressed only domestically. Similar conclusions are reached by analysing the potential international impacts of the EU's circular policies, which is why it is necessary to analyse the circular economy from a global approach in order to promote and scale it up.

Science and technology play a key role in the development of a circular economy through the design of alternative solutions, as outlined in the article Perspectives on sustainable plastic treatment: A shift from linear to circular economy[5], which states that plastics should come from renewable or recycled sources, a paradigm that contrasts sharply with the current linear economy of plastic production, use and disposal. This linear economy model ignores numerous environmental concerns, perpetuating the adverse environmental impact of plastic use and disposal. To that end, it is imperative to integrate circular economy principles into current plastic management practices. This integration is essential to mitigate plastic pollution and its associated environmental consequences.

The authors of the article indicate that a goal of the circular economy should be to increase the proportion of plastic that is reused or recycled. Two plastic recycling strategies could be considered: 1) depolymerising plastic into monomers or small molecule substances (e.g. CO 2 or H2) and then transforming them into new polymers or chemicals and 2) directly transforming plastic into high-value chemicals.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in the report Monitoring trade in plastic waste and scrap,[6] highlights that the global annual export volume of plastic waste decreased by almost half (49%) in the last six years, from around 12.4 million metric tonnes (megatonnes, Mt) in 2017 to 6.3 Mt in 2022.

The decrease was slightly larger between 2021 and 2022, compared to 2020 and 2021. Overall export volumes decreased by 4.9% between 2021 and 2022 (6.7 Mt to 6.3 Mt), compared to a decrease of 1.9% between 2020 and 2021 (6.8 Mt to 6.7 Mt). The share of trade, in particular inter-regional trade, among OECD member countries grew. For example, trade between Europe and North America now accounts for a larger share than exports from these regions to other parts of the world.

In 2016, of all plastic destined for recycling, half (around 14.1 million tonnes, MT) was exported and around half of this (7.35 MT) was destined for China[7]. Since then, import bans on low-grade plastics by that country have changed the geographical distribution of waste recipients, but still demonstrate the global reach of secondary materials markets, leaving aside environmental and social concerns related to recycling standards and safety of disposal in current trade flows of materials.

SELA, as a regional cooperation organisation for economic and social development, made up of 25 countries of the region, pursues as one of its objectives: "to encourage cooperation for the protection, conservation and improvement of the environment.” The circular economy aims to protect, conserve and improve the environment, and has the potential to transform our economies to ensure the sustainability of economic and social development in the region.

Latin America and the Caribbean has made some progress in circularity, but the efforts made so far are still not enough, so it is necessary to increase the tools and resources to help our countries move towards a circular economy model. Undoubtedly, the effects of pollution caused by plastic waste are continuing and increasing. From the conceptualisation of the circular economy, the foundations are laid to advance and stimulate all those actions that contribute to the preservation of the environment. To that end, SELA offers this space to contribute to the efforts to consolidate positions before the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee with the firm purpose of achieving the best results for our region.

[1]https://wedocs.unep.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.11822/39812/OEWG_PP_1_INF_1_UNEA%20resolution.pdf

[2] https://www.unep.org/es/resources/turning-off-tap-end-plastic-pollution-create-circular-economy

[3] C. de Miguel, K. Martínez, M. Pereira and M. Kohout (2021). Economía circular en América Latina y el Caribe: oportunidad para una recuperación transformadora. Project Documents (LC/TS.2021/120). Santiago, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

[4] N. Mulder and M. Albaladejo (Coords.) (2020). El comercio internacional y la economía circular en América Latina y el Caribe. International Trade Series, N° 159 (LC/TS.2020/174), Santiago, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165993624001134#bib1

[6] Park, B., et al. (2024), "Monitoring trade in plastic waste and scrap", OECD Environment Working Papers, No. 233, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/013bcfdd-en. Export options: EndNote, Zotero, BibTeX, RefWorks, Procite, Import into RefWorks, Mendeley

[7] https://www.oecd.org/cfe/regionaldevelopment/Ekins-2019-Circular-Economy-What-Why-How-Where.pdf

1. To explore contributions to the global plastic pollution treaty from the Latin American region in the lead up to the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC).
2. To explore the relevance of the inclusion of the circular economy in the negotiation process as a contribution to sustainable development and the economic recovery process in the region.
3. To learn about the contributions from science and technology to stimulate best practices and improvements in circular economy design processes.

The Seminar is organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) in collaboration with UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

Date: 03 September 2024
Time: 11:00 – 13:00 (Caracas time | GMT-4)
Modality: The Seminar will be held virtually.
Registration link: https://bit.ly/4dxhuNt
Language: Spanish, with simultaneous translation into English.

For additional information, please contact:

At the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA):

• Gustavo Herrera Caballero, Coordinator of the Social Development Area
  E-mail: gherrera@sela.org  

• Menkar Valladares, Analyst of the Social Development Area
  E-mail: mvalladares@sela.org