Matt Seaholm, PLASTICS President and CEO, recently penned an op-ed for RealClearEnergy about the proposed U.N. plastics treaty. He wrote, in part:
“We can’t achieve long-term climate goals without plastic. It’s plastic that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by minimizing food waste, makes the efficiency of electric vehicles possible—not to mention EV batteries, enables the function of wind turbines and solar energy farms and offers lightweight properties that conserve energy throughout its lifecycle, especially while being transported. When concepts such as plastic production caps are thrown around during negotiations in the name of achieving our common climate goals, applications such as these must be considered, without fail.”
You can read the entire op-ed here. The principles Matt enumerates are those that PLASTICS will continue to bring to ongoing treaty discussions, on behalf of our industry, as negotiations progress.
PLASTICS Participates in Second Session
of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
Meetings on Plastic Pollution
Matt Seaholm, PLASTICS President and CEO, and Patrick Krieger, Vice President of Sustainability, traveled to Paris, France earlier this month for five days of plastic pollution discussions hosted at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization headquarters. The goal of these ongoing negotiations is to create a global agreement to eliminate plastic pollution in the environment.
Engaging in this process as an observer was an opportunity to ensure that the plastics industry’s voice is heard, the importance of which was immediately apparent after seeing the “options paper” participants were asked to review. It was made clear throughout the events that the level of plastics knowledge among the various countries’ negotiators was low, especially regarding how plastics are made, used, reused, and then recycled.
In meeting with representatives from the United States and other countries, PLASTICS, as part of a coalition of industry associations and companies, was able to educate negotiators by sharing our industry’s commitment to developing a circular plastics economy and working with governments and other partners to ensure plastics stay in the economy and out of the environment.
While there is agreement on the overarching goal of eliminating plastic waste in the environment, there are divergent perspectives on how that can be accomplished. For example, many of the developing countries were very interested in discussing building waste management and recycling infrastructures – both through funding and the sharing of technology. For our part, PLASTICS shared our goals for what we would like to see in the final version of an agreement:
Official recognition of the essential nature of plastic and its global role in providing health, safety, protection, and well-being to humanity.
Ambitious yet reasonable goal setting that produces a final agreement the United States can sign and agree to.
Achieving ideal outcomes through consistent, transparent data.
Production policy about fostering circularity, not about caps or bans.
Solutions through partnerships.
U.N. plastics treaty talks at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France
Participating countries’ feedback on the options paper will be taken into consideration by the United Nations Environment Programme Secretariat in developing the “zero draft” of an agreement. With that “zero draft,” PLASTICS will be able to discern in which direction the document is headed.
PLASTICS will have additional opportunities to participate in discussions during the development of the “zero draft,” expected to be published six to eight weeks prior to the third session of discussions, which will take place this coming November in Nairobi, Kenya.
We encourage you, our members, to take an active role in working with PLASTICS and our partner associations across the globe, to engage not only the United States but other countries where you have facilities and customers; tell the stories of your work to make plastics more circular and how sustainable they are compared to alternative materials.
PLASTICS is celebrating the creativity and innovation of the plastics industry by showcasing groundbreaking advancements at NPE2024. We’re seeking companies who would like to discuss their forward-thinking products and partnerships on the all-new exhibit hall stages or in other forums throughout the event. The submission deadline is July 17, 2023.
In this rapidly growing industry, the PLASTICS Innovation in Bioplastics Award recognizes companies contributing innovative ideas in bio-based and/or biodegradable bioplastic material, products, as well as processes from beginning to end of life. Each year, one company is awarded this recognition and highlighted during PLASTICS' annual Bioplastics Week and throughout the year. Apply before August 11th to be considered!
Draft Safety Standard for Cast Film Extruders
PLASTICS' Standards Program is inviting comments from our membership on a draft safety standard for cast film extrusion machines. PLASTICS requests that members with an interest in cast film machinery share their experience and expertise in reviewing the draft with an eye toward improving its technical content and clarity.
The document proposes safety requirements that would apply to all machines equipped with one or more metal rolls upon which a plastic melt is cast for the purpose of heat transfer and can include flat film or embossed film applications. The standard identifies and addresses known hazards to personnel working on, or adjacent to, the flat cast film and cast embossed film extrusion machinery.
The PLASTICS Standards Program values feedback from the plastics industry in the development of safety standards for plastics processing machinery. This feedback plays a key role in the development of these resources for the plastics processing industry. The drafting group will give careful consideration to all comments received.
Comments on the draft may be submitted using the SurveyMonkey form by 11:59 pm ET on July 30, 2023. Please note that the use of the SurveyMonkey form is required to better manage and review comments.
For assistance, or additional information regarding this request for comments, please contact Jeff Linder, Director of Standards, at jlinder@plasticsindustry.org.
Fiber-Shield strives to be the best, most innovative, and dependable commercial supplier of PFAAS-free specialty maintenance and cleaning products. With more than four decades of experience in polymer science, they deliver water-and solvent-based formulations to match specific customer needs with consistent batch-to-batch quality. Their products are crafted in the U.S.A., for optimal supply chain stability and on-time delivery.
Founded as an industrial coatings company in 1997, Schake Industries has grown into a manufacturer of spiral aluminum silos, above-ground storage tanks, and hydraulic, lubrication and pneumatic systems. Schake continues to invest in new equipment, talented employees, and technology to improve product quality and lower costs, ensuring they can meet customers’ needs now and in the future.
Hard Chrome Solutions is an in-house, full-service, original equipment manufacturing and repair center with over over 60 years of experience. They offer
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