World leaders at COP26 will be looking at ways to reduce CO2 emissions to achieve their net carbon zero commitments with ambitious pathways across power generation, transport, agriculture, homes and heavy industry. However, the manufacturing sector – and particularly plastics manufacturing – seems to have been ignored.
The production of plastics currently accounts for approximately 6% of global greenhouse emissions. This is forecast to grow to 20% over the next 30 years. Indeed, a recent report from Beyond Plastics suggests plastic production will surpass coal as a major climate change contributor by 2030, threatening to derail any global efforts to remain within a 1.5°C rise above pre-industrial levels.
But with alternative materials available to replace plastic in many applications right now, the manufacturing sector can already be transformed at pace with minimal investment and disruption.
A circular economy that limits plastic pollution through recycling, the use of alternative materials and sustainable manufacturing does of course require joining the dots between the many stakeholders. Yet with the benefits of reduced CO2 emissions and moving to a postplastic world abundantly clear, surely some focus on this is critical at COP26?
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From Oil to Net Zero with Postplastic Materials 5000 x 5211 px graphic
Can be used with attribution to cirqulor.com
