Buy your way out
THE DIFFICULT PATH TO PLASTIC NEUTRALITY
“We must break away from the current quantity-based compensation logic. The principle of “one ton in – one ton out” does not work because the plastic problem is not only an ecological and economic problem, but also a social one.” This is what Nobel Peace Prize winner Prof. Muhammad Yunus writes in the new POLYPROBLEM report entitled “Buy Your Way Out – The Difficult Path to Plastic Neutrality.”
Offsetting measures still play a subordinate role in combating the global plastic waste crisis. This is mainly due to an intransparent market and inadequate standardization. This is the conclusion reached in the study by the non-profit Röchling Foundation and the consulting firm Wider Sense.
It analyzes the opportunities and limitations of so-called Plastic Credits. More and more initiatives and organizations are offering such certificates for purchase in order to use the proceeds to finance their activities for the collection and recycling of plastic waste – especially in developing countries.
After intensive research in close cooperation with Yunus Environment Hub, the authors of the POLYPROBLEM report came to a critical assessment. “There is no shortage of reputable initiatives with good projects,” says Annunziata Gräfin Hoensbroech, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Röchling Stiftung. “But it is completely unclear what a supposed plastic neutrality actually means and requires.”
Some organizations use the income from the sale of Plastic Credits to specifically finance the collection and recycling of material that has been left behind because the recycling industry is not interested in certain plastics. Others, in turn, invest in collection activities on bodies of water. Cooperation with local partner organizations in the Global South and local waste collectors also varies greatly.
Although there are now some organizations that formulate standards and award quality seals, these also have different priorities. “If the providers and intermediaries of offsetting measures want to shake off the frequently heard accusations of greenwashing and mere indulgence trading, they must quickly agree on qualitative standards and uniform definitions,” says Wider Sense Managing Director Michael Alberg-Seberich.
Plastic Credits offer considerable potential as an alternative financing mechanism. Companies can use this instrument to quickly and unbureaucratically contribute to the development of structures for waste and recycling management where the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR) has not yet been established. However, this requires that the funds are not invested in one-off cleanup campaigns, but in the development of structures and thus in ensuring permanent jobs on site.
In general, the publishers of the new POLYPROBLEM report find the promise of an alleged neutrality to be achieved through compensation difficult. “We cannot offset an ecological damage that we have already caused through a plastic waste emission in Africa in Asia. That is why the comparison between Plastic Credits and CO2 certificates, which is often mistakenly drawn, does not work,” says Uwe Amrhein of the Röchling Stiftung.
The study gives numerous international experts a chance to speak – from small local NGOs to well-known providers, brokers and standardizers to representatives of the consumer goods industry who have already gained experience with Plastic Credits. Compactly summarized recommendations for action help companies and private individuals to find their way around.
Click here to download the POLYPROBLEM report.
Under the title POLYPROBLEM, the non-profit Röchling Foundation and Wider Sense are combining various information and networking offers that should contribute to better cooperation in solving this global challenge. These include studies, webinars, workshops and excursions.
