The legal foundations were thus laid to build the first legally binding global treaty on plastic pollution. A historic moment, the most important agreement since the Paris Climate Agreement: a provision that takes into consideration from a legal point of view all phases of the life cycle of plastic. This resolution provided for the establishment of an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee with the task of defining a proposal for a global treaty against plastic pollution by the end of 2024. The importance of this treaty lies in its nature of a legal obligation, a provision that rekindled the hope of witnessing a concrete change desired collectively by the great majority of the world’s political leaders.

How did the issue evolve?

Two perspectives have arisen on the fundamental strategy to follow: reduce plastic or strengthen recycling management? On the one hand we find Europe and African countries pushing for a reduction in the production of plastic polymers. On the other hand, countries such as the United States and Saudi Arabia claim that the solution lies not in reducing production but in improving plastic recycling systems.

Investments and commitments in the recycling system remain of fundamental importance, but even when our energies are focused on the best possible waste management, we must not forget the amount of plastic that is released into the environment every year. The most effective way is undoubtedly the circular economy: only by closing the circle can we aspire to rethink the way in which we and companies use plastic materials.

For this reason Interzero hopes and is committed to a circular change in the production systems of plastic materials: introducing recycled materials into the market makes it possible to overcome the need to increase plastic production. Within a circular economy, goods and materials enjoy multiple lives and enter a respectful production “loop” in terms of use of resources and releases of plastic materials into the environment. Knowing the lifespan of plastic products allows you to calculate how long and how many times they can be used. Allowing plastic materials to live in multiple forms means a major reduction in environmental waste: for this reason, implementing the principles of the circular economy on a large scale will allow us to reduce waste and save resources.