Regulation

With the final round of negotiations of the Global Plastics Treaty approaching, this industry landscape overview analyses the dynamic around chemical recycling/recovery over recent years in Europe. Among the overview takeaways is the industry’s acknowledgement that pyrolysis is not ready to help tackle plastic waste and the climate crisis.

The website informs about the process and negotiation rounds of the International Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including timelines, documents, outcomes, and resources.

The study aims to provide insight into the extent to which the environmental and social impacts of single-use plastics are integrated into ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) ratings, as well as the level of transparency exhibited by ESG rating providers. 

This paper articulates the economic and financial basis for establishing a cap on global plastics production. The production cap, once adopted as part of the final legally binding agreement, is expected to serve as the linchpin to end plastics pollution.

This report models whether a virgin plastic production reduction target of 40% by 2040 (40×40) could keep the plastics industry within a 1.5°C carbon budget. It outlines the methodology used to predict how the global economy would respond to a 40×40 target, including modeling different scenarios based on business-as-usual (BAU) demand and reduced-demand scenarios. 

Just before INC5, this booklet gives an overview of negotiation priorities and challenges. The global treaty must not condemn our planet and communities to runaway climate change fuelled by unchecked petrochemical expansion, the collapse of ecosystems saturated with plastic pollution, and avoidable disease from exposure to microplastics and plastic chemicals.

This investigation uncovers shocking evidence of how bad actors exploit regulatory weaknesses and legal loopholes in the global plastic waste trade, fuelling a thriving illegal market. The global plastic waste trade continues to pose significant environmental and health risks, and causes huge amounts of pollution of land, air and even soil.

International fashion brands are doubling down on their use of synthetic fibres – a key driver of microplastic pollution – while employing distraction and delay tactics to protect their fast fashion business model. This report uncovers the industry’s lacklustre support for meaningful legislation and underscores the urgent need for strong action from regulators.

This report highlights the critical role of public authorities in advancing reuse systems for takeaway packaging. It shows that switching from single-use to reuse could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower hidden costs like litter and carbon impacts.

The first edition of the European Reuse Barometer sets light on positive insights driving the reuse transition such as reuse industry growth and very engaged customers. However, the current fragmented and uncoordinated reuse ecosystem urgently needs to be streamlined and unified to achieve a true market transformation.