Schneider's Christophe de Maistre on Failed Plastic Treaty
The mood is somber among sustainability advocates following the collapse of negotiations for a global plastics treaty at the INC-5 Summit in Busan, South Korea.
Despite the participation of leaders from 175 nations and their top negotiators, the talks concluded on Sunday without reaching an agreement.
A new round of negotiations, dubbed INC-5.2, is scheduled for 2025 to build upon the draft text developed during INC-5.
The draft text itself has been a source of contention, with numerous countries and organisations believing that no deal was preferable to a weak, ineffective agreement.
The Busan, Korea summit was anticipated to be the culmination of two years of discussions, but it ended with a persistent divide between nations advocating for a comprehensive deal and those whose economies are closely tied to continued demand for fossil fuel-based plastics.
More than 100 countries supported a proposal calling for a treaty that includes legally binding global bans and phaseouts on harmful plastic products.
However, it is reported that oil-producing nations, coordinated by Saudi Arabia, blocked any proposals that threatened to reduce plastic production. The majority of plastic is derived from oil or natural gas.
Christophe de Maistre, Segment President for Energies and Chemicals at Schneider Electric, reacts to the news and offers his thoughts on why, even without the treaty in place, we need to accelerate our progress toward circularity.
Following Busan, how can our approach to plastics change?
“Unfortunately, nations have not been able to reach a significant agreement on The United Nations Global Plastics Treaty after the fifth round of negotiations.
“With less than 10% of the plastic produced globally being recycled since 1950, it's evident that our approach to consuming and disposing of plastics must change.
“However, plastic recycling is just one half of the problem. With plastic production now responsible for four times more greenhouse gas emissions than the aviation industry, reducing single-use plastic production is of the utmost importance, and this must be met alongside improved recycling efforts.”
Are there ways, without a treaty, to drive circularity?
"Even without the treaty in place, we must expedite our progress toward circularity.
“Our initial focus should be on integrating seamless connections to recycling facilities within our infrastructure and supply chains while enhancing sorting techniques through innovations like AI and embedded digital product watermarks.
“To bolster circularity further, this process must be met with the implementation of advanced chemical recycling methods and improved mechanical recycling."
You want to see a ‘paradigm shift’. Can you explain it?
“Many existing tools available today can help make sustainable plastic recycling a reality, especially when combined with new technologies like software-defined automation for example, which offers the flexibility needed to respond to a dynamic market, allowing for rapid adjustments in operations to enable it to scale.
“Furthermore, industry and businesses at large should also look to limit the consumption of single-use plastics.
“At Schneider Electric, we are committed to realise 100% of our primary and secondary packaging, free from single-use plastic and use only recycled cardboard by 2025.
“To achieve this requires a systemic shift from the traditional linear model of "take-make-dispose" to a regenerative approach that involves designing and utilising products that are durable, repairable and recyclable.
“Encouraging this paradigm shift in industry, alongside driving collaboration to support the growth of the advanced recycling sector, will be key to reducing plastic consumption and waste.”
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