Researchers from the Oxford Martin Programme on the Way forward for Plastics, University of Oxford, have outlined ambitious targets to assist deliver a sustainable and net zero plastic economy. In a paper published in Nature, the authors argue for a rethinking of the technical, economic, and policy paradigms which have entrenched the status-quo, one among rising carbon emissions and uncontrolled pollution.
Currently the worldwide plastics system leads to over 1 gigatonnes every year (Gt/annum) of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions which is similar as the whole combined emissions of Europe’s three largest economies (UK, Germany and France). If left unchecked, these emissions could rise to 4-5 Gt/annum with other sources of pollution also causing concern. One other problem is the dearth of effective recycling — in 2019, only 9% of the world’s plastic waste was was recent products through mechanical recycling. The bulk ended up in landfills or was incinerated, and a big proportion was mismanaged, ending up polluting terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
The authors analyse the present and future global plastics system, proposing technical, legal, and economic interventions from now until 2050 to permit it to transition to net zero emissions and to scale back other negative environmental impacts. The study features a future scenario centred on 4 targets:
- Reducing future plastics demand by one half, substituting and eliminating over-use of plastic materials and products.
- Changing the best way plastics are manufactured to switch fossil fuels because the hydrocarbon source to make use of only renewably raw materials, including waste biomass and carbon dioxide.
- For plastics that are recoverable, maximising recycling very significantly, targeting 95% recycling of those materials that are retrievable from wastes.
- Integrating plastic manufacturing and recycling with renewable power and minimising all other negative environmental impacts, including of additives.
The authors emphasise the necessity for concerted motion across all 4 goal areas to make sure the worldwide plastics systems curbs its climate impacts and meets UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Charlotte Williams, Professor of Chemistry on the University of Oxford’s Department of Chemistry and lead creator said:
‘We’d like plastics and polymers, including for future low emission technologies like electric vehicles, wind turbines, and for a lot of essential on a regular basis materials. Our current global plastics system is totally unsustainable, and we must be implementing these series of very daring measures at scale, and fast. It is a solvable problem nevertheless it needs coherent and combined motion, particularly from chemical manufacturers.’
To successfully transition the plastics system, the authors set out principles to make sure ‘smart materials design’ and differentiate between plastics that are recoverable and irretrievable after use, noting that there shouldn’t be a one size matches all solution. Fairly, the authors propose careful use of the design principles to assist select the optimum production methods and appropriate use of resources, deliver the required performances, ensure waste management, and minimise broader environmental impacts. A timeline of technical-economic-policy and legal interventions helps readers deal with the actions needed to succeed in net zero emissions by 2050.
‘The time for motion has arrived, we cannot afford to attend any longer,’ study co-author Fernando Vidal, Postdoctoral Researcher in Chemistry at POLYMAT in Spain and former Oxford Martin School Fellow on the Way forward for Plastics concluded.
‘We must change our concepts around the best way we make, use, and eliminate plastics, otherwise we risk perpetuating this problem. The upcoming UN Global Plastic Treaty is the chance to make an enduring change in the suitable direction.’
Study co-author Cameron Hepburn, Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics on the Oxford’s Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, said: ‘The issue is that plastics, while contributing hugely to global pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, are extraordinarily useful. Our research finds that making a circular economy for plastics to be able to reduce their negative impacts is feasible, but provided that we are able to reduce future demand by half, switch to renewable plastics that are not made out of fossil fuels, recycle 95% of what is left, and minimise environmental impacts at every step of the method.
‘The challenge is big, but we present a roadmap to rework the entire system, including through the smart design of plastics, economic and legal interventions, and a shift away from overconsumption.’
