Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
Every week, we publish a roundup of the top developments in plastics and sustainability – from regulatory changes to company news.
This week’s highlights:
- 16 firms that make up the Consumer Goods Forum Plastic Waste Coalition – including Nestle, Danone, Unilever and PepsiCo – have agreed a set of chemical recycling principles. The group published a position paper that says chemical recycling could increase packaging recycling rates and help meet recycling targets, especially for plastics that can’t be mechanically recycled. The Coalition brings together many of the corporate world’s largest plastic consumers, which are under growing pressure to reduce consumption and ensure the packaging they use is ultimately recycled. (GreenBiz)
- LyondellBasell, one of the world’s largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies, published its 2021 sustainability report detailing the company’s plans to curb plastic waste and address climate change. The company aims to produce two million metric tonnes of recycled and renewable-based polymers to be marketed annually by 2030. It also plans to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and reduce emissions from operations by 30% by 2030. (Recycling Today)
- Some “biodegradable” plastics perform no better than traditional plastic in the ocean, a new study finds. Researchers in Barcelona found that PLA plastic, which is of biological and biodegradable origin, does not degrade in the marine environment any faster than plastics that come from petroleum, such as polystyrene, polyethylene or polystyrene. PLA plastic is used to produce single-use cups, plates and cutlery, among other items. (Technology Networks)
