Addressing the challenges of plastic pollution through promotion of circular economy practices 

Acknowledgment of plastic pollution as a global challenge 

The global community is advancing efforts to address plastic pollution, guided by the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision (G20, 2019) and UNEA Resolution 5/22 (2022). A life-cycle approach underpins ongoing negotiations for a legally binding international instrument, led by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, to address pollution in marine and broader ecosystems. 

UNIDO works with industry to improve resource efficient, circular economy practices

UNIDO, as a leading UN agency promoting circular economy, supports its member state governments to address marine plastic litter challenges primarily at their sources on land through promoting the adoption of circular economy business models and technologies. 

The transition to a circular economy requires transformative changes in policy, industry practices, and consumer behaviour. UNIDO advocates for policy frameworks that create incentives for industries and consumers to embrace sustainable production and consumption patterns. By redesigning the entire value chains, industries can retain the value of plastics within the economy, minimizing waste and environmental leakage. 

UNIDO’s holistic approach on circular economy practices

UNIDO’s intervention is tailored to align with the specific context and needs of the country. The fundamental concept is that rather than attempting to address the issue of a product reaching the end of its useful life, circular economy practices necessitate a shift in focus to the initial stages of a product's life cycle. This approach aims to prevent waste and pollution at the production stage from being generated in the first place. This requires policy frameworks to create incentives for economic actors, including industry and consumers, to increase resource efficiency and productivity. Applying circular economy practices moves industries along plastic value chains towards more innovative, resource efficient and sustainable production.  

Designing products based on circular design and circular business models helps industries to eliminate waste and retain plastics within the economy, thus preserving the value embodied in plastics from leaking out of the economy as waste.  UNIDO’s plastic circular economy diagram indicates each stage of the value chain and key practices to reduce waste generation. 

In the upstream part of plastic value chains, interventions start with the selection of non-toxic, less carbon intensive and more sustainable input materials, including chemicals as well as redesigning existing and new products and adapting production processes for circularity. Downstream, it is critical to ensure that products are distributed, used and consumed through the lowest carbon and least polluting means. Later in the product lifecycle, the emphasis must be on returning products, parts and materials at post-consumption to the economy through the most effective collection, sorting and recycling technologies in order to close loops. As a transitionary measure and as a last resort, waste to energy actions may also be considered. 

The application of circular economy practices often requires collaboration with the waste management industry, which also includes social considerations such as the integration and improvement of the working conditions of informal waste pickers. 

Shifting the plastic value chain towards the re-designing of products, the promotion of reuse, alternative business models and services, and the improvement of recycling, while taking into account the whole life cycle of the products will lead to increasing circularity of the plastic economy. This requires a value chain approach that looks at both upstream, midstream, and downstream sides of plastics. For the plastics economy to grow sustainably, it has to be viewed more through the concept of increasing business profitability through waste generation minimization along the value chain and increasing efficiency. 

Circular Economy Practices for plastic packaging and other single use plastic products 

With plastics, on the other hand, the picture is mixed. Some plastic products are made to last, and concerning circular economy practices, these long-lasting, durable plastic products, and, their parts and components are similar to other durable consumer goods. Many of the circular economy practices shown in the figure above can be used with them: they can be repaired, reused, refurbished, and recycled depending on the type of plastic polymers used to make them. 

Other plastic products have short to very short lifetimes and are discarded almost immediately in today’s linear economies. This is particularly the case for plastic packaging, as well as other single-use plastic products. Also in this category are short-lived consumer goods containing plastic such as inexpensive clothing or trainers that go out of fashion and favour rapidly or fall apart quickly through normal wear and tear. Other examples are plastic products that cannot stand up to the forces of nature for very long (e.g., fishing gear that gets lost in open seas, such as plastic fishing nets and ropes). For these products, the circular economy practices that can be adopted are a smaller set than those shown in the figure above. The figure below shows the set of practices for plastic packaging and other single-use plastic products in particular. 

 Nevertheless, even in these cases, we can use these circular economy practices to extract much more value of the value embedded in these short-lived plastic products than we do now as follows. 

Start with product design to ensure: 

• Greater durability of plastic products and their constituent materials 
• Use of renewable materials instead of non-renewable fossil fuels 
• Non-toxic components 
• Easy recyclability 

Implement systemic innovations by: 

• Designing and adopting long-lived alternatives 

Prevent plastic leakage into the environment by enhancing efficiency during: 

• Production and distribution 
• Product use and service delivery 

Maximise recycling outcomes by: 

• Increasing the volume of discarded products sent to recycling 
• Innovating recycling technologies to recover higher amounts of plastic 

Social Inclusion and Collaboration 

UNIDO acknowledges that the transition to a circular economy necessitates  collaboration across sectors. A crucial aspect of this is working with the waste management industry to guarantee effective solutions while addressing the social aspects of waste management. UNIDO actively promotes the integration and improvement of informal waste pickers' working conditions, fostering inclusive and equitable economic growth. 

Leading the Way Towards a Sustainable Plastic Economy 

UNIDO’s holistic approach to circular economy solutions empowers industries to design innovative business models that consider the entire lifecycle of plastic products. Consumers are equally encouraged to demand more sustainable and circular alternatives, creating a shift towards greater resource efficiency and reduced pollution. 

By driving innovation, collaboration, and capacity building, UNIDO continues to lead the global effort to solve the plastic pollution crisis, making a significant contribution to a cleaner, more sustainable future for our planet. 

To learn more, please visit our brochure ‘Addressing the Challenges of Plastic Pollution, including in the Marine Environment, Using Circular Economy Methods’ and more information on ‘Our publications’ page.