Science and plastic pollution
Climate change, deforestation, the extinction of species, overfishing, and the uncontrolled growth of the global population. Back in 1992, scientists […]
Businesses and plastic
The plastic soup cannot be solved without effort from the companies which produce and use plastic. These same companies unfortunately generally see plastic as the ideal (packaging) material, a material which can easily carry their name and logo. Packaging functions not only as protection for the product but also as a marketing tool. The biggest problem in combatting plastic use, however, is the cost price. Plastic is dirt cheap, and businesses tend to work to keep their costs as low as possible. As a result, they resist environmental measures which they see as patronizing and too strict, concluding that these measures will likely lead to an increase in their costs. Voluntary measures that the business world has been willing to take in the past have, with a small number of exceptions, proven to be ineffective in reducing the plastic soup.
Plastic Pact
The Plastic Pact was signed at the beginning of 2019 in The Netherlands by some 80 businesses and organisations. The signatories agreed to mitigate the environmental effect of plastic and to promote its re-use. But if the goal is to combat the plastic soup, then the Plastic Pact is not the correct medium. Without a legal basis, it’s quite feasible that the business signatories use the Pact as window dressing without taking any significant steps. The Plastic Pact is strongly focused on improving the recycling of plastic, although recycling, for the time being, does not provide a long-term solution for the plastic soup. There is a positive impact, however, which is that as a result of the Plastic Pact, businesses have become more aware of their responsibilities and are willing to introduce measures that are not too disruptive to their operations.
A level playing field
Legislation is crucial to creating a level playing field for industry. When a prohibition is introduced, normative rules are set, or other legal regulations are adopted, it affects all companies in any industry. And exactly because companies can obtain a competitive advantage through the use of plastic – a very cheap material that is widely applicable – there is a strong need to regulate its use through legislation. Combatting the plastic soup needs to be the guiding principle. Through legislation, all companies know where they stand. They get to operate on a level playing field, a level playing field which will never be achieved if measures needed to combat the plastic soup are taken only on a voluntary basis. Smaller companies have become advocates of legal measures, while multinational companies do everything that they can to prevent regulation. They prefer to determine the contours of their own playing fields.
take action!Read more
National Governments
A national government is the only authority that can draw up laws and other regulations and enforce them within a […]
Plastic-free lifestyle
It’s easy to feel powerless. For goodness’ sake, where do we, as citizens, start if we want to combat the […]
United Nations & Plastic Pollution
The issue of plastic pollution also called the plastic soup, is present all over the world. The tides carry it […]
