Biotransformation Technology and Plastic Pollution

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Biotransformation Technology:

1. This technology was co-developed by Imperial College in London, UK, and a Britain-based startup, Polymateria.

2. Plastics developed using this technology have predefined lifetime. Until this lifespan, they will have better appearance and quality like traditional plastics.

3. Once their lifespan expires, with the help of surrounding environment, they will get degraded biodegradable wax which can be consumed by bacteria.

It could be major development in plastic intensive industries as plastic is one of the major pollutant.

As per UNEP,  Every minute, the equivalent of one garbage truck of plastic is dumped into our ocean. Plastic pollution is a global problem. Approximately 7 billion of the 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic produced from 1950-2017 became plastic waste, ending up in landfills or dumped.

India’s effort to reduce plastic waste:

1.  MoEFCC imposed a ban on identified single use plastic on 12th August 2021 and also notified Guidelines on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for Plastic Packaging on 16th February 2022.

2. The Guidelines stipulated mandatory targets on Extended Producer Responsibility ( EPR ), recycling of plastic packaging waste, reuse of rigid plastic packaging and use of recycled plastic content. The Guidelines also mandated implementation of EPR on plastic packaging through a centralized online portal developed by CPCB in order to ensure ease of doing business while complying with statutory obligations.

3. From around 310 Producers, Importers and Brand Owners (PIBOs) registered for EPR, before the notification of the EPR Guidelines on 16th February 2022, the number of PIBOs registered on the centralized EPR portal on plastic packaging has gone up to around 5400 PIBOs, till date. Significantly, a total plastic packaging of 2.26 million tonnes has been covered under EPR for the year 2022-23. In order to contrast, the total plastic waste generated in the country during the year 2019-20 is around 3.4 million tonnes.

Rapid penetration of alternatives is a key for successful implementation of the ban on identified single use plastic items. 

Microplastics:

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter. Their concentration is increasing day by day in oceans. When ingested by marine life such as birds, fish, mammals and plants, microplastics have both toxic and mechanical effects, leading to issues including reduced food intake, suffocation, behavioral changes and genetic alteration. In addition to entering the food chain through seafood, people can inhale microplastics from the air, ingest them from water and absorb them through the skin. Microplastics have been found in various human organs, and even in the placenta of newborn babies.

Cigarette filters, Clothing and textiles, Cosmetics are the sources of microplastics.
UNEP’s Clean Seas campaign is the biggest, most powerful global coalition devoted to ending marine plastic pollution.
The Basel Convention is the only global, legally binding instrument that addresses plastic pollution. It regulates the transboundary movement of plastic waste and commits to better managing plastic pollution.
A Plastic Waste Partnership (PWP) has been established under the Basel Convention to mobilise business, government, academic and civil society resources, interests and expertise to improve and promote the environmentally sound management (ESM) of plastic waste at the global, regional and national levels and to prevent and minimize its generation.
The goal of the PWP is to improve and promote the ESM of plastic waste at the global, regional and national levels and to prevent and minimize its generation so as to, among other things, reduce significantly and in the long-term eliminate the discharge of plastic waste and microplastics into the environment, in particular the marine environment.

The Netherlands were the first country to introduce a ban on microbeads in cosmetic products in 2014. Several countries, including Australia, Canada, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Sweden, the UK and the US have followed suit.

 UNEP, MINT, PIB, UNEP, OECD

<<< International Cooperation on Plastic Pollution

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