Global Plastic Treaty: Zero Draft Published
On September 4th, the zero draft of the Global Plastic Pollution Treaty was published, reflecting a wide range of options and viewpoints. Among the various options are mandatory reduction of virgin ...
Global Plastics Treaty: upsides and downsides of the second round of negotiations
The second round of negotiations (INC-2) for a Global Plastics Treaty, held from May 29 to June 2 at UNESCO headquarters in Paris, concluded with the adoption of a mandate to create a “zero dr...
Global plastics treaty: the second round of negotiation is underway
The second round of negotiations (INC-2) for the development of a treaty on plastic pollution is being held between 29th May and 2nd June in Paris. Although the 2022 mandate defined by the United Na...
Global Plastic Treaty: the first round of negotiations opens in Uruguay
The first round of negotiations for the adoption of a global treaty on plastic opens in Uruguay. From 28 November to 2 December 2022, in Punta del Este, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (...
Packaging waste: a preview of the European Commission's draft proposal
On November 30, the European Commission is due to submit its proposal for a "Regulation of the European Parliament and Council on Packaging and Packaging Waste." Renewable Matter was able to view a ...
United Nations: the environment is now a universal human right
In late July, the United Nations General Assembly recognized access to a clean and healthy environment as a universal human right. This new right will be critical in addressing the threefold planeta...
Measuring the impacts of companies on the ocean, for a sustainable Blue Economy
The ocean is the largest carbon sink on the planet, and if managed sustainably it can aid in climate change mitigation and adaptation. But its ability to regulate climate is weakened by the direct a...
Making Empties Count: Deposit Return Schemes Across The World
Many experts identify Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) as a key way of reducing the production of single-use packaging waste, especially in the food and drinks sector. The mechanism is simple: encourage...
Big Plastic’s Manual Of False Solutions For Plastic Waste
Delay, distract, and derail any law or action plan for reducing plastic waste, so business-as-usual can go on as long as possible. These are the three basic tactics that Big Plastic has successfully...
Plastic in the ocean: reducing pollution will have positive impacts on the economy
One of the most ambitious regulations in the world to tackle plastic pollution in the ocean, the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) will come into force on January 1, 2021. Even if the directiv...
Advanced Learning is the Key to Green Jobs
For over thirty years, the “European Capital of Culture” initiative has aimed to promote the contribution of culture to urban development. Matera, the capital of Italy’s Basilicata...
Intelligent Plastic Designed for Chemical Circularity
The Brett Helms Research Group, part of the California-based Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has synthesised a new type of plastic polymer – poly(diketoenamine)s or PDKs – that ca...