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Plastics & The Environment – Responsibilities and Implications Between North and South

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Ecologic Institute

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Plastics & The Environment – Responsibilities and Implications Between North and South

46th UNEP/UNESCO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management

Presentation
Date
Lecture

On 29 March 2023, Doris Knoblauch and Mandy Hinzmann, both from Ecologic Institute, gave a lecture on "Plastics and the Environment" at a postgraduate course, where 19 experts from ministries, authorities, municipalities, non-governmental organizations and industry from low-income countries and emerging economies were represented and exchanged. The focus was on reducing plastics in the environment, on different responsibilities and concerns from a global perspective on the one hand, and on the textile sector on the other hand.

The core statements of the lecture include:

  • Every year, up to 26 million tons of plastic waste end up in the seas and oceans. However, only one per cent of it floats on the ocean surface.
  • Scientists and non-governmental organizations are calling on governments to enact stricter regulations to limit plastic pollution. However, the industry lobby is well-funded and tries to prevent regulation.
  • There is a clear correlation: the higher the gross national income, the more plastic waste is produced.
  • Only high-value plastic (such as PET) is recycled in the North. Other plastic waste is exported to low-income countries.
  • The so-called High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution (HAC) is trying to work towards a strong, legally binding international agreement.
  • Europeans, on average, throw away 11kg of textiles every year. As a consequence, a truckload of textiles is landfilled or incinerated every single second and the export volume of used textiles from the EU to low-income countries has increased excessively.
  • The EU Textile Strategy (2022) can be seen as an important first step on the way towards a more sustainable fashion industry.

The presentation was part of the 46th UNEP/UNSECO/BMUV International Postgraduate Course on Environmental Management for Developing Countries, organized by the Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management (CIPSEM) at the Technical University of Dresden.

Every year, up to 26 million tons of plastic waste end up in the seas and oceans. However, only one per cent of it floats on the ocean surface.

Contact

Doris Knoblauch
Co-Coordinator Plastics
Coordinator Urban & Spatial Governance
Senior Fellow

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