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.