Mountains of plastic: Why certificates can only be a stopgap solution
Companies sell "plastic neutrality" and rely on certificates for waste collection initiatives. However, this is not a real solution to the plastic crisis.
(Image: Shutterstock.com/FonForward, Bearbeitung: heise online)
The UN negotiations on plastic waste in South Korea have failed for now – mainly because oil-producing countries rejected targets for plastic production. They argued that production was not the problem, but pollution. This alone needed to be tackled.
And of course, anyone who sees pictures of cities and rivers literally drowning in plastic bags, bottles and tarpaulins cannot have anything against collection and recycling initiatives. Collecting the waste locally is also much more effective than fishing it out of the oceans later – where the misery usually takes its course.
Some companies that put plastics into circulation support such collection initiatives through plastic credits: And that is also to be welcomed. However, they should not receive a trophy for this, as it is a problem for which they are partly responsible. Some advertise their products with the label "plastic-neutral". That's just plain wrong.
Trade in certificates against plastic waste
The trade in plastic certificates is based on a simple calculation. One tonne of plastic put into circulation can be offset against another tonne of plastic waste collected and possibly recycled. The money that companies pay for the certificates flows into waste collection projects in countries where the waste problem is particularly severe.
One thing is clear: the plastic crisis cannot simply be calculated away. If only because of the gigantic quantities involved: Over 400 million tons are produced worldwide every year, and the trend is rising. Their production devours vast amounts of raw materials and energy. Only very few of them can be easily recycled. This is also due to thousands of additives that are often harmful to health, such as plasticizers, flame retardants and stabilizers. The largest amount of plastic waste collected is simply incinerated. Critics also complain that it is often unclear to what extent the local waste collectors actually benefit.
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Finally curbing plastic production
Certificates can certainly be an emergency solution locally, but nothing more. Cleaning up the back end without turning off the tap at the front: That is unwise, to say the least. Plastic production must finally be curbed. "Reduce wherever possible is still the top priority on the road to a circular economy. We can "mop up" long enough.
This article first appeared on t3n.de.
(mki)
