Scientists call for global ban on virgin plastics by 2040

Scientists now suggest a binding global treaty amongst nations is needed, committing them to ceasing the production of new plastics by 2040.

It’s recommended that the treaty be comprised of three phases: phasing out newly made plastics, creating a circular economy for existing plastic, and starting a worldwide clean-up of plastic waste.

The latter two are already happening on small scales.

Companies converting plastic into reusable, recycled pellets are already in operation. The pellets are then softened and restructured into cosmetic bottles, car parts, or other useful packaging which is purchased by value-aligned brands.

One company doing this is ‘The Plastic Bank’ operating in Haiti. Citizens collect plastic litter from beaches, roadsides, or from elsewhere in their community and exchange bags of it for useful items like phone chargers, cooking stoves, or cash.

The operation has created loads of local jobs and delivers a new social recycling system that financially benefits those involved in the project, as well as their environment.

To help slash the production of single-use plastics, Blue Avocado has designed leak-proof, reusable bags made from recycled materials.

‘(Re)zips’ can be used to store fresh produce and other perishables when shopping. Blue Avocado also accepts returns of the bags and recycles them when they come to the end of each use cycle.

With designs for major clean-up projects underway, and the number of recycling projects increasing, it appears the next major step is a formal, global commitment to stop producing new plastic materials which will only add to the growing waste problem.

Recent scandals have shown wealthy countries like the UK are not equipped to deal with the current amount of single-use plastic their citizens throw away daily.

If the last year has taught us anything, it’s that we can change our habits and way of life when we really need to. Altering the materials we use to package and store products could simply be treated as another facet of our ‘new normal’.

At COP26 and The UN’s Ocean Conference next summer, tackling the plastic problem is a listed priority. We’ll be looking out for developments at both meetings and look forward to hopefully reporting on a confirmed date for halted plastic production.