Plastic pollution has become a problem that is hard to ignore. This is good news for the Chilean Plastics Pact (PCP), which is directly involved in this issue.

The fact that the 50th edition of World Environment Day, celebrated annually on June 5, focused on this issue —just as the close of the second Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2) of the Global Treaty to End Plastic Pollution, with a focus on the marine environment, was taking place in Paris— demonstrates the interest and need to prioritize this problem and create transformative environmental measures. Coincidentally, June 8 marks the commemoration of the World Oceans Day, a date on which we make visible the vital role oceans play, for example, in climate regulation and in the provision of biodiversity and food, as well as the threats they face, including plastic pollution.

The best waste is waste that is not produced. This premise underpins the PCP and calls for reflection and collaborative work to move towards a circular economy for plastics, minimizing waste production and making the most of existing resources and raw materials. Instead of continuing to produce and consume in a linear fashion, the circular economy proposes extending the life cycles of materials and products by reusing and recovering them instead of discarding them. In the case of plastic packaging, this makes special sense and is particularly necessary, given the long useful life that it can have if it is properly designed and managed with a focus on reuse and recycling.

It is crucial to advance strategies to promote reuse models. The recent celebration of the Chilean Reuse Day promoted by Coca-Cola, Plastic Oceans and Pais Circular —all of them members of the PCP— highlighted the importance of this practice, considering that according to figures from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), reuse models could reduce plastic pollution by 30% by 2040. A few days earlier, Oceana, ANIR and Algramo submitted a report on instruments to promote the reuse of packing and packaging in Chile and reduce waste production.

As for recycling, the packaging goals of the Extended Producer Responsibility Act (EPRA) will come into force in September, which is a great challenge considering that 970,000 tons of plastic were consumed in 2020 and only 9.6% of that total was recycled. Fostering education and awareness among the people, together with their active participation, will be one of the key aspects for waste collection efforts to be effective quantity and quality-wise. Along with this, the entire recycling infrastructure will need to be upgraded, with a concurrent increase in the demand for recycled materials In other words, the implementation of the Act requires the participation of multiple actors with shared responsibility.

It is encouraging to see that efforts to move towards a circular economy for plastics are gaining momentum globally and locally. The Chilean Plastics Pact is part of this movement, together with more than 45 collaborating companies and organizations which represent the entire plastics value chain, with more than 200 professionals involved.

The circular economy of plastics not only benefits the environment, but also the economy as a whole. According to figures from the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, the circular economy can reduce the volume of plastics entering the ocean by 80% annually, build savings of USD 200 billion and create 700,000 additional jobs. A circular model is a driver of sustainable development that can improve the quality of life for everyone.