By 2040, global plastic pollution could be reduced by 80 percent, according to a new nearly ninety-page report. All resources are already available for this, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), which has just been published. However, this would require far-reaching political and market changes towards a circular economy.
The UNEP report forms an important basis for the conference of the UN's Intergovernmental Body, which began at the end of May and was set up last year to draw up an international agreement on plastics. By 2024, this international treaty should be ready for a vote.
According to the UNEP authors, the increased reuse of plastic alone – reusable packaging – could avoid around 2040 percent of plastic waste by 30. Among other things, the report refers to deposit systems – as the report can be seen as a summary of many national best-case regulations and projects. According to UNEP, even simpler solutions such as the use of refillable bottles for soaps or cleaning products could reduce the amount of plastic waste.
A further 20 percent of plastic waste could be saved through more recycling – provided that such waste recycling becomes more profitable in the coming years. Binding guidelines that prevent plastic packaging that is particularly difficult to recycle would be a decisive step in this direction, they say. UNEP sees further potential in paper and other compostable materials as a substitute for plastic packaging. These could reduce plastic pollution by a further 17 percent.
According to the authors' estimates, the implementation of the UNEP proposals could save up to 4.5 trillion US dollars globally in addition to the social follow-up costs, most of which arise in nature and have not yet been taken into account in pricing.
If the circular systems were implemented consistently, 700,000 new jobs would also be created, most of them in poor countries. In any case, there is no shortage of technologies.