Apparently, some bioplastic companies believe it’s a good idea to have a UN Plastic Treaty.
You have to explain to me why?
Plastics is a sustainable material but it’s achilles heel are the “end-of-life” options.
Why would you want to have a UN Plastic Treaty if the available technologies haven’t been able to provide a definitive solution to the of “end-of-life” challenges?
In addition, the UN will probably focus on plastic “packaging”. Plastic packaging industry beware; a storm may be coming at you.
“Plastics” and its “end-of-life” options are higly complex topics that politicians and UN representatives may not be able to fully understand …. let me come back to this later (**)
Yes, but we need (1) a global legal instrument that sets some principles on waste management… and (2) Europe can play a leading role.
A legal instrument?
Do you think a legal instrument will solve the problems of plastics and waste management?
The EU is the world champion in legal instruments.
Does it look to you as if the EU had solved any plastic waste problems?
List of all the EU Waste Management instruments
- Waste Framework Directive
- Landfill Directive
- Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive
- Single Use Plastic Directive
- Plastic Bags Directive
- Batteries Directive
- WEEE Directive
- Waste Shipment Regulation
- Basel Convention on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal
- Ecodesign Directive
- Industrial Emissions Directive
- Waste Statistics Regulation
- PCB/PCT Disposal Directive
- End-of-life Vehicles Directive
- Directive 2005/64/EC on the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to their reusability, recyclability and recoverability
- RoHS Directive
- Animal By-products Regulation
- Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
- Sewage Sludge in Agriculture Directive
- Mining Waste Directive
- The European Green Deal
- The Circular Economy Action Plan 2.0
- EU Methane Strategy
- Critical Raw Materials Strategy
- EU Renovation Wave
- European Sustainable Investment Plan
- 8Th Environment Action Programme
Don’t you think we have enough legal instruments in Europe?
High Risk
In addition, there’s a high risk for the bioplastics industry (**)
You just have to find one bright lobbyist or diplomat working for an oil major, food company or oil exporting country that suggests to introduce a ban on ” using food crops to produce plastic” …. something that politicians and UN representatives could understand easily (it’s not technical) and which seems “politically sound”… and the deal is settled…. they burry the bio-based plastics industry overnight. …. it’s going to be Christmas in March this year!
But which country could introduce such amendment? African countries, South American countries, OPEC countries, oil-producing countries …
But why would they do this?
Well, because the oil industry has been going through some rough time recently.
Their whole business model is at risk with recent anti-fossil developments.
We could say that they’ve been pestered by the bio-industry.
They would want to reciprocate the favour … you know like in “return to sender”.
This risk cannot be excluded, this is why I wouldn’t have pushed for a UN Treaty.