A team from the Institute for Transformative Sustainability Research (IASS) in Potsdam has looked at the role of regional instruments in the fight against plastic waste. It urgently calls for more far-reaching measures than the agreements reached so far at national, regional and global levels, as well as systemic changes. In their report, "Stronger together: the role of regional instruments in strengthening global governance of marine plastic pollution," the authors identify four challenges that need to be addressed: strong regional differences in the implementation of measures, high deviance in the collection and analysis of data, shortcomings in the implementation of a multi-stakeholder approach, and often insufficient collaboration with industry.

Above all, cooperation with industry is of high importance to prevent further inputs, they say. In regional working groups, marine conservation organizations should consult with private companies on how to prevent discharges. The use of alternative materials for the manufacture of products should be discussed, as should improvements in waste disposal. A circular economy must be the common goal. Global agreements should create a uniform framework for this, as well as for data collection, which would have not yet been carried out according to uniform standards, making the results hardly comparable.

In addition to global agreements, the team recommends strengthening regional cooperation, as regional organizations could better take into account the challenges, needs and specifics of the different regions and identify and implement suitable solutions for the countries concerned.

Read more: IASS Study "Stronger together: the role of regional instruments ..."

Sources:

• recyclingmagazin.de (2/15/2021)
• www.iass-potsdam.de
• Photo: @ BKV