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By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

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It’s all about the “Three ‘R’s” this week – reuse, recycling and reorientation of plastic packaging to alternative materials – as discussions around a global plastics treaty in Paris take place. And check out today’s ESG Spotlight for some continuity on the theme of plastic pollution as an artists’ latest piece serves as an “unflinching visual reminder of the urgency of this issue”.

With only about 9% of waste recycled from 460 million tonnes of plastic produced each year, the UN-organised Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution aims for a legally-binding pact to eliminate more. 

The treaty negotiations in Paris, known as INC2, are taking place from May 29 to June 2 and are expected to result in key inputs for the first treaty draft, which needs to be done before the third round of negotiations in Kenya in November.

A general view of the plenary room of negotiations on a future treaty on tackling plastic pollution at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, May 29, 2023. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Many countries have said a goal of the treaty should be “circularity” – or keeping already-produced plastic items in circulation as long as possible. But many nations have different approaches to tackling plastic waste. Some major plastic producing countries like the United States and Saudi Arabia prefer a system of national strategies.

Some that have formed a “High Ambition Coalition,” comprising Norway, Rwanda, New Zealand, the European Union and others, have called for a top-down approach where global targets are set to reduce virgin plastic production and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies, among other measures.

“We have a responsibility to protect human health in our environment from the most harmful polymers and chemicals of concern through the treaty,” said Rwanda’s environment minister, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, who is the co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution. 

The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), the Kenya-based U.N. body which is hosting the talks, released a blueprint for reducing plastic waste by 80% by 2040. The report, issued earlier this month, outlined three key areas of action: reuse, recycling and reorientation of plastic packaging to alternative materials. 

UNEP estimates that government promotion of reuse options like refillable bottle systems or deposit return schemes could reduce 30% of plastic waste by 2040. 

It also says recycling could achieve an additional 20% by that year if “it becomes a more stable and profitable venture” and fossil fuel subsidies are removed, and that the replacement of products like plastic wraps and sachets with compostable materials could yield an additional 17% reduction. 

Some environmental groups criticized the report for focusing on waste management, which they saw as a concession to the global plastics and petrochemicals industry. 

“Real solutions to the plastics crisis will require global controls on chemicals in plastics and significant reductions in plastic production,” said Therese Karlsson, science advisor with the International Pollutants Elimination Network.

Meanwhile, the French capital’s Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced a plan to ban single-use plastic when Paris holds the 2024 Olympic Games, at a session of the International Forum of Mayors against Plastic Pollution which coincides with the treaty negotiations on the issue this week.

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) at the Korea-Pacific Islands Summit at the former presidential Blue House in Seoul, South Korea, May 29, 2023. Ahn Young-joon/Pool via REUTERS

Emmanuel Ladent, CEO at French biochemistry firm Carbios, shares his thoughts on the U.N. Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution:

“80% of plastic produced globally is thrown away within a year. In 2020, European countries recycled on average 35% of plastic waste.

“Plastic pollution remains a ticking time bomb. When 175 countries meet in Paris later this month to negotiate an international treaty, ambitious targets and clear incentives for plastic recycling must be set.

“Currently, the primary bottlenecks are in the collection systems and recycling capacities. Powerful industrial applications for plastic recycling exist and are close to becoming operational but clear targets on recovery rates of plastic waste, incorporation of recycled content, and investment in advanced recycling technologies are necessary.

“Recycling is a lever of the circular economy, but it cannot solve the plastic pollution issue alone. 

“The future treaty will be critical for mobilizing all actors along the industrial chain: from a product’s eco-friendly design to its collection, use and recycling, all stakeholders have a role to play.”

Texas is emerging as an unlikely catalyst for energy transition efforts across the United States by rolling out clean energy supplies at a faster pace than long-time renewables hub California and the rest of the country.

Texas, the second-most populous state, has also established a formidable lead over all states in terms of total electricity generation from renewable sources, and will add more solar and wind capacity in 2023 than all other states combined, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

People stand next to artist Benjamin Von Wong’s art installation unveiled by the Greenpeace International, Paris, France May 27, 2023. REUTERS/Yonathan Van der Voort

From plastic-spewing artworks in Paris to mounting rubbish left by climbers on Mount Everest, today’s ESG Spotlight continues today’s theme in highlighting the importance of recycling and waste management.

Lobbyists Greenpeace unveiled an art piece in Paris in the shape of a machine churning out bottles in front of an oil derrick to coincide with talks on eliminating plastic waste.

Canadian artist Benjamin Von Wong said his 5-meter-high work by the River Seine showed the link between fossil fuels and plastic pollution, which could triple in the next four decades.

“We hope this machine will serve as an unflinching visual reminder of the urgency of this issue,” Von Wong said, according to Greenpeace’s website.

American Mountaineer Garrett Madison who climbed Everest for the 13th time, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kathmandu, Nepal May 30, 2023. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

Renowned U.S. mountain guide, Garrett Madison, who recently achieved the rare feat of climbing Mount Everest and two nearby peaks in less than three weeks, said Nepal needs to do a better job of policing the world’s highest mountain to save it from garbage.

“We need to find better ways to bring the waste down,” Madison said in the Nepali capital Kathmandu after returning from the mountain. Authorities collected 13 tonnes of rubbish from Everest and the nearby Lhotse peak this year as part of a campaign to keep the mountains clean.

“This new investor coalition seeking to tackle the issue of plastic pollution well illustrates how sustainability-conscious asset managers are widening their focus on environmental matters beyond climate change.”

Lindsey Stewart, director of sustainable stewardship research at U.S.-based financial services company Morningstar

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