Trade in plastic waste and scrap plays a potentially important role in helping to strengthen markets for recycled plastics as it can help to achieve economic efficiency through for instance economies of scale. But such trade has also been criticised for leading to plastic pollution when recipient countries lack capacity to treat such waste in an environmentally sound manner. This report aims to identify and assess trends in trade patterns of plastic waste and scrap in the context of recent policy developments, particularly the strengthening of controls applied in the context of the Basel Convention, which came into force at the beginning of 2021. One of the findings is that OECD Member Countries continue to make up a significant share of global trade in plastic scrap and waste (89% of global reported exports and 67% of global reported imports by weight), but that the trade surplus has continued to shrink, as well as the overall volume of trade.

Europe is at crossroads regarding its management of plastic, plastic waste and the plastic waste trade. Rapidly growing amounts of plastic have negative environmental and climate impacts. Plastic and plastic waste are traded worldwide. Exporting plastic waste from the EU to Asia is a means of dealing with insufficient recycling capacities in the EU. Waste import restrictions in China have shifted exports to other countries. Because some types of plastic waste have been added to the United Nations Basel Convention, the option of exporting plastic waste is becoming increasingly difficult. This requires policymakers, business and other actors to build a more robust and circular economy for plastic in Europe.

This policy brief outlines the main findings from the project Plastic Waste Markets: Overcoming barriers to better resource utilisation. The aim of the project is to provide an overview of the key barriers to a stronger and more robust market for recycled plastics, and to suggest potential initiatives that could be used to overcome these barriers and strengthen the market. The project is part of the market challenges to the Nordic Prime Ministers’ green growth initiative, The Nordic Region – leading in green growth.

Plastic pollution is a serious and worldwide issue. Current approaches to the problem are scattered, and they can only have a short-term impact on plastics discharge into the environment. More than a hundred nations have urged for the UN Environment Program to develop a worldwide accord on plastics (UNEP). Combating plastic pollution needs adjustments in production, commerce, and consumption. Prioritizing political and regulatory initiatives requires a clear focus and set of measures from the international community. Target hazardous plastic trash first, then single-use plastics, and last poisonous, non-recyclable plastics. Some of the Basel Plastic Waste Amendments attempt to improve trade regulation. Also, national trade and manufacturing rules are phasing out single-use plastic, especially in tiny island developing states (SIDS). Aside from initiatives to encourage reuse, reduction, and replacement, waste management should be prioritized, especially in developing nations with inadequate material recovery and recycling capacity. More nations are pressing for a new global accord on plastic pollution, hoping to get a new UN Environment Assembly mandate. A UN deal on plastic pollution might spur coordinated and larger national action, aided by global trade initiatives.

This book addresses the need for a technical guided thought on production, consumption, and waste management of plastic and polymers in the African continent. Issues such as resource availability, processing technologies, plastic policies, and much more are covered in the book. While Africa is made up of several different countries which might be different from each other in many ways, these countries within the African continent have some commonalities such as region, some shared history, resources, and some shared policies through organizations such as the African Union, African Free trade Zone, and ECOWAS. With a population of over a billion, the African continent has become an attractive market for various businesses. Several publications in recent years have pushed for the advancement of the African continent toward increased manufacturing as a road to development. This inevitably includes the plastics and other polymers industry. Careful consideration must be taken to ensure that this growth will focus on more sustainable and greener manufacturing; otherwise, this anticipated growth in the plastics and polymer industry will only spell increased pollution and worsening of the environment.

Little is known about the volume of international recycling in Asia, the problems caused and the struggle to properly manage the trade. This pathbreaking book addresses this gap in the literature, and provides a comprehensive overview of the internatio

Waste is one of the planet’s last great resource frontiers. From furniture made from up-cycled wood to gold extracted from computer circuit boards, artisans and multinational corporations alike are finding ways to profit from waste while diverting materials from overcrowded landfills. Yet beyond these benefits, this “new” resource still poses serious risks to human health and the environment. In this unique book, Kate O’Neill traces the emergence of the global political economy of wastes over the past two decades. She explains how the emergence of waste governance initiatives and mechanisms can help us deal with both the risks and the opportunities associated with the hundreds of millions – possibly billions – of tons of waste we generate each year. Drawing on a range of fascinating case studies to develop her arguments, including China’s role as the primary recipient of recyclable plastics and scrap paper from the Western world, “Zero-Waste” initiatives, the emergence of transnational waste-pickers’ alliances, and alternatives for managing growing volumes of electronic and food wastes, O’Neill shows how waste can be a risk, a resource, and even a livelihood, with implications for governance at local, national, and global levels.

Despite the global movement to tackle plastic pollution, demand for plastics continues to rise. As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, plastics are set to be the biggest driver of oil demand. Single-use plastics – deemed essential in the fight against COVID-19 – have been given a new lease of life. In a world beset with crisis fatigue, what can we do to curb the escalating plastics crisis? In this book, Alice Mah reveals how petrochemical and plastics corporations have fought relentlessly to protect and expand plastics markets in the face of existential threats to business. From denying the toxic health effects of plastics to co-opting circular economy solutions to plastic waste and exploiting the opportunities offered up by the global pandemic, industry has deflected attention from the key problem: plastics production. The consequences of unfettered plastics growth are pernicious and highly unequal. We all have a part to play in reducing plastics consumption but we must tackle the problem at its root: the capitalist imperative for limitless growth.