Can traceable plastic help avoid consumer shame?
About 15 years ago, we went glamping in a yurt in Devon, UK. Sitting outside in the evenings was so pleasant. As the sun set, the gentle sounds of nature filled the air. Just over the horizon, a warm glow of light appeared in the sky. As night fell, the glow grew stronger. Curious, we walked closer to investigate. To our surprise, we discovered that someone was burning hundreds of tires a few fields away, past some lovely woods. The flames and smoke were enormous. Who would do this? Shouldn't they be arrested?
Plastic pollution is obviously a massive problem. For the consumer it is often experienced as deep, un-actionable shame. According to the World Wildlife Fund, “Every year, the world produces over 462 million tons of plastic. While plastic can be a useful material, 90% of it pollutes our planet. This is particularly true of single-use items such as plastic cutlery, packaging, and microplastics, which break off from larger pieces of plastic like textiles. Currently, an estimated 9 million to 14 million tons of plastic waste ends up in our oceans each year”.
Hope on the Horizon
In more uplifting news, legislation against plastic pollution is emerging. The UN Environmental Assembly has been pushing for an agreement among 175 nations to adopt a global treaty for plastic pollution. The parties hope to finalize this agreement, which will cover “key control measures and obligations, including bans, product design, and finance,” by November 2024 in Busan, South Korea. This could lead to enormous changes in consumer behavior.
The Challenge of Accountability
A significant part of the problem with any polluting material is identifying the culprits. This is nearly impossible with plastic waste, which drifts around the world, often in the form of microscopic particles. The proposed agreement includes detailed expectations for tracking plastics on a chemical and polymer level. Downtoearth.org describes this as “Traceability measures are mandated to track chemicals, polymers, and plastic contents throughout their life cycles, supporting safe management practices and compliance monitoring.” This means even the smallest piece of microplastic can be traced to its source.
Global Efforts and Differences
Norway has pushed for the strongest criteria in the agreement, advocating for “global disclosure by primary and secondary plastics producers of polymer types, quantities, and chemical usage in a public database.” This proposal is broadly supported by African and European groups. However, countries like the US, Brazil, and India prefer a less ambitious treaty.
Moving Forward
Undoubtedly, we are making progress with plastic traceability. This is a great step in holding parties accountable for pollution. Consumers are often the last witnesses in the consumption lifecycle. Often blamed as well. Once plastic waste is discarded, it becomes challenging to track. With traceability, there will be less blame-shifting between municipal groups, producers, and distributors, and more accountability at every stage of the plastic lifecycle. Hopefully consumers will now have better partnerships at the end with producers. Maybe in the future, we can even identify all parties involved in burning car tires in the Devon countryside.
