A Circular Economy For Plastic

Context: The India Plastics Pact will benefit society, the economy and the environment.

The paradox of plastic use

• Plastic emission: A 2019 report by the Centre for International Environmental Law suggests that by 2050, greenhouse gas emissions from plastic could reach over 56 gigatonnes, which is 10-13% of the remaining carbon budget.
• Livelihood dependence: Post-consumer segregation, collection and disposal of plastics make up about half of the income of 1.5- 4 million waste-pickers in India.
• Waste mismanagement: A 2021 report commissioned by Google, Closing the Plastics Circularity Gap, suggests that unless large-scale global interventions are made, “we should expect to mismanage more than 7.7 billion metric tonnes of plastic waste globally over the next 20 years... which is equivalent to 16-times the weight of the human population...” 

Plastics Pacts model as the solution

• Plastics Pacts are business-led initiatives and transform the plastics packaging value chain for all formats and products.
• Pacts bring together everyone from across the plastics value chain to implement practical solutions.
• All Pacts unite behind four targets: 
  • To eliminate unnecessary and problematic plastic packaging through redesign and innovation.
  • Ensure all plastic packaging is reusable or recyclable.
  • To increase the reuse, collection, and recycling of plastic packaging.
  • To increase recycled content in plastic packaging.
• India Plastics Pact will be the first in Asia, will be launched in September at the CII Annual Sustainability Summit.

Scope of the India Plastics Pact:

• Helps in the development of plastics production and management ecosystem: Deeper and long-lasting benefits will be felt across supply chains of these businesses, most of which comprise MSMEs.
• It can be expected to boost demand for recycled content, investments in recycling infrastructure, jobs in the waste sector, and beyond.
• It will support the Extended Producer Responsibility framework of the government and improve solid waste management as envisioned in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• Integral to the Pact’s framework is the involvement of the informal waste sector crucial to post-consumer segregation, collection and processing of plastic waste.
• Driving solutions and innovations: It will develop a road map for guidance, form action groups composed of members, and initiate innovation projects. 
• Members’ accountability is ensured through ambitious targets and annual data reporting.
• Environment benefits: Delivering the targets will drive the circularity of plastics and help tackle pollution. They will lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
• Global integration: This association will ensure access to expertise and knowledge from different Pacts worldwide. The India Plastics Pact will link globally with other Plastics Pacts.