Will the ‘Plastic Train to Busan’ bring hope?
Published: 28 Nov. 2024, 19:21
Hong Su-yeol
The author is director of the Resource Recycling Socio-Economic Research Institute.
The fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) for an international treaty on plastic pollution began in Busan on Nov. 25. The one-week session is an important gathering of policymakers to develop rules over the life cycle of plastic production from its beginning to its disposal. The session kicked off with the first meeting in Uruguay in November 2022, and the session in Busan will be the last.
Can the “Plastic Train to Busan” be a train of hope for humanity to escape from plastic zombies? Both those who desperately hope to resolve the plastic problem and those who dream of extending the life of plastics are paying attention to Busan.
The biggest issue is whether the session can come up with a strong reduction plan for plastic production. EU member countries, Africa, Latin America and the island nations hope to have a specific and solid target of a 40 percent reduction of the 2025 standard by 2040.
Meanwhile, oil producers who can’t cut off massive incomes from petroleum — and emerging economies such as China who have large-scale plastic production facilities — oppose any reduction regulations. INC Chair Luis Vayas Valdivieso, Ecuadorian ambassador to the United Kingdom, proposed a compromise to first agree on contested issues and discuss them later. Fortunately, the discussions are happening based on that compromise.
How should we interpret the issue of production reduction — the biggest obstacle to the progress of the treaty? Production reduction actually refers to “primary plastic polymer production reduction.” It means the production reduction of primary polymer — the base material needed to produce plastics — not the production reduction of all plastics. The reduction of primary polymers is also linked to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, as it reduces the amount of new petroleum used as materials for plastics.
Therefore, those who favor strong regulations demand a strong reduction of primary polymers to resolve various environmental problems caused by plastics. But the oil-producing countries and the petroleum industry consider it a serious threat to their survival.
If the production of primary polymers is cut, will it really reduce the use of plastics? Even if the primary polymer production decreases, it may not necessarily reduce the total plastic production because petroleum-based primary polymers can be replaced with plant-based polymers or polymers from recycled waste.
Currently, the high prices of bioplastic and high-quality recycled materials could serve as a pressure factor to reduce plastic usage. But if market expansion leads to economies of scale and technological advancement enhances efficiency, prices could become competitive.
Therefore, in order to reduce the use of plastics to end plastic pollution, strong regulations are needed not only to reduce the production of primary polymers but also to reduce the consumption of plastics. Regulations on unnecessary plastic consumption of disposable products and packaging are also needed.
Some claim that tighter regulations on the primary polymer production would threaten our domestic plastic industries. But it won’t have a negative impact on all related companies uniformly. Traditional petrochemical companies that are losing competitiveness in the primary polymer market can have a chance to convert to high value-added products like bioplastics.
The international trend is to strengthen guidelines on the mandatory use of renewable raw materials. This trend can provide positive pressure to create a domestic ecosystem that can stably supply high-quality renewable materials to companies that use plastic. The regulation on primary polymer production can offer new opportunities for the domestic plastic industry.
Due to the wide gap between countries, it’s still unclear whether a legally binding agreement can be reached at this meeting as originally planned. But I hope a treaty reflecting a reduction goal can be reached in Busan this time. We hope that oil-producing countries and emerging economies like China show a responsible stance on addressing plastic pollution as members of the international community. The Korean government, which is hosting the session, must do its best to generate a treaty which specifies production and consumption reduction targets.
Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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