The plastics industry, which for years has spearheaded initiatives to deal with consumers’ casual disposal of its spent products, is pleased to see that topic has now moved to the top of the global political agenda. With a nod to the recent G7 summit in Germany, the World Plastics Council (WPC), an organisation established at the "K 2013" trade fair – see Plasteurope.com of 05.11.2013 – has welcomed the meeting’s definition of a “bold action plan” to reduce marine litter. This is a challenge that requires a global response, said WPC chairman Abdulrahman Al-Fageeh, who is also executive vice president of Polymers at Sabic (Riyadh / Saudi Arabia; www.sabic.com).

In a resolution passed at the summit, the G7 countries committed to improving their national systems to prevent, reduce and remove marine litter, while also acknowledging that international development assistance and investment are key to meeting the challenge. Along with leveraging existing platforms and tools already put in place by the plastics industry, the world leaders agreed to share recognised best practice, especially with developing countries. They also pledged to promote individual and corporate behaviour change in regard to marine litter through public awareness and education campaigns, economic incentives, market-based instruments and public-private partnerships.

The world’s plastics leaders also welcomed the G-7 summit’s recognition of the importance of improving national systems for waste management, reducing waste generation, and encouraging reuse and recycling. “Every kind of waste, regardless of the material, should be treated as a resource. Proper waste collection and management systems are indispensable,” WPC said in a statement.

The organisation also pointed at the plastics industry’s own efforts at reducing marine level. In particular, Al-Fageeh mentioned “Operation Clean Sweep” (OCS, www.opcleansweep.org), currently being rolled out along the global value chain, which promotes the goal of “zero pellet loss.” Here, he said, "the industry is successfully contributing to reducing the loss of plastic pellets. We are pleased that the G-7 leaders have recognized this as an important measure.” OCS was most recently joined by the China Plastics Processing Industry Association (CPPIA, Beijing; www.cppia.com.cn) – see Plasteurope.com of 10.06.2015).

Among other contributions by the WPC, the chairman mentioned initiatives such as the global Marine Litter Solutions Coalition (www.marinelittersolutions.com). This goes back to the "Declaration for Solutions on Marine Litter” signed in 2011 by 47 organisations representing the plastics industry in 29 countries, which now has the support of 60 industry associations in 34 countries – see Plasteurope.com of 25.06.2014.

As part of the European continent’s commitment to solving the marine litter problem, PlasticsEurope (Brussels / Belgium; www.plasticseurope.org) supports GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection), a UN advisory body that reviews current knowledge on the sources, fate and effects of micro-plastics in the marine environment – see Plasteurope.com of 25.11.2011. In addition to driving forward its project “Zero Plastics to Landfill by 2020”, PlasticsEurope also backs diverse national awareness and collection capacity programmes, such as “Vacances Propres" in France, and is an active member of the circular economy platform “Ketenakkoord” in The Netherlands.