Welcome to the Plastics Weekly, NEO’s regular news monitoring of the plastics industry.
Every Monday, we publish a roundup of the top developments in plastics and sustainability – from regulatory changes to company news.
This week’s highlights:
- Plastics production in the U.S. is set to overtake coal in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, according to a new report. The report by Bennington College and Beyond Plastics projected that the American plastics industry releases a total of at least 232 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year. (The Guardian)
- Petrochemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC) – the world’s fourth biggest petrochemical company by sales – announced plans to meet carbon neutrality by 2050 during the Saudi Green Initiative summit. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the world’s top oil exporter aimed to reach ‘net zero’ emissions of greenhouse gases by 2060 and double the emissions cuts it plans to achieve by 2030. (Reuters)
- Plastic pollution in oceans and other bodies of water could more than double by 2030, a new UN study found. To prevent plastic waste, the study proposes an accelerated transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies, the removal of subsidies and a shift towards more circular approaches towards reduction. (United Nations)
