On June 5, the annual World Environment Day will come as expected. According to the announcement of the UN Environment Program, this year’s theme is “Final Judgment,” and everyone is urged to respond to the environmental challenge of plastic pollution today.
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres explained that on World Environment Day, the message to be passed is simple: refuse to use disposable plastics. Reject things that cannot be reused. Through joint efforts, we can open up a path leading to cleaner The road to a more environmentally friendly world. '
'Made to fight', they are in action!
In order to welcome the arrival of World Environment Day, the United Nations Environmental Planning Agency has launched the # plastic relay relay challenge in the world. It has been hailed as the global new ice bucket challenge!
As a host country, India’s large and small communities will carry out “World Environment Day” theme activities around the world through citizen participation and various celebrations. They are committed to making this year’s World Environment Day the largest and most important event. .
In Sweden, plogging (plastics waste while running) has received positive responses from environmentalists and fitness enthusiasts. More than 40 countries and regions have participated.
From June 2 to June 5, over 10 cities in the Asia-Pacific region will launch 12 large-scale art exhibitions using waste plastics to support the UN Environment Agency's World Environment Day and appeal to everyone to pay attention to the plastic waste crisis.
In addition, celebrations will be held in Auckland, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Yangon.
Multiple economy legislation 'limited plastic'
In the recent intensive action, the most noticeable is the large-scale EU. Let's take a look at the points of the bill proposed by the European Commission in recent days:
• All straws, beverage stirrers and other products will not be made of plastic in the future, but must be made of environmentally friendly materials.
• Each member country proposes to reduce the use of disposable food containers such as plastic beverage cups.
• EU member states must achieve the goal of recycling 90% disposable plastic beverage bottles by 2025.
In fact, restrictions on disposable plastic products have gradually begun to form a consensus on a global scale. In the United States, California and New York State legislators have proposed a total ban on the use of plastic straws. May 29, Indigo County, Victoria, Australia The parliament announced that it has formulated a new 'plastics policy'. On May 30, Chile passed a bill that will ban the use of plastic bags nationwide.
At the same time, PlasticsEurope expressed its support for the overall goal of the 'European Parliament and Council's instructions on reducing the environmental impact of certain plastic products' proposed by the European Commission at the end of May, namely the reduction of marine debris. It also pointed out that the ban on plastic products is not a solution. It will not fundamentally realize the establishment of a sustainable and resource-efficient economic base. It calls for the establishment of appropriate public infrastructure such as waste management, support for innovative and forward-looking product design, and increase environmental awareness.
Rubber and Plastics Industry: Recycling Economy Has Been Concerned
As an important way to achieve sustainable development, circular economy is increasingly becoming a hot topic. In the rubber and plastics industry, many companies have already smelled the opportunity that circular economy brings for the company. VDMA German Association of Plastics and Rubber Machinery Thorsten Kühmann, general manager, also pointed out that the circular economy will be the next important topic. He emphasized: 'Our industry must pay attention to the problem of plastic pollution. We must propose a solution. This is our primary treatment in the German plastic and rubber machinery industry. One of the problems, because the circular economy will become the next important topic we see after Industry 4.0.'
Covestro aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2025
In terms of sustainable development, Zhou Binbin, president of Covestro Polycarbonate Business Unit, emphasized: “Sustainable development is a very important strategic pillar for Covestro's R&D and corporate strategy, and it has been carried out through various links. It is not our slogan. We have set a very important goal, namely to reduce the specific greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2025. '
Covestro achieved sustainable development through the entire workflow. At present, the steam and power consumption at the Shanghai Integrated Base have each decreased by 15%, while the office also uses LED lights to reduce power consumption by 50%.
Zhou Binbin pointed out that in the future, 80% of the company’s new R&D products and technology must be closely integrated with the UN's sustainable development goals, not just reduce emissions and save energy.
DSM Dyneema® shoulders low carbon environmental mission
At CHINAPLAS 2018, Dr. Yang Xiaowei, Business Director of Dyneema China, Royal Dutch DSM Group, and Dr. Timothy J. Kidd, Manager of New Business Development, interviewed CPRJ China Plastics and Rubber, introducing Dyneema®. ) Research and innovation of related products.
According to reports, Dyneema® also shoulders the mission of low-carbon environmental protection. The goal is to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions per unit of product. By 2020, we plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, reduce energy use by 20%, and save 15% of water resources. use.
DSM has taken three major steps to make Dyneema® a more environmentally friendly material. In addition to reducing the consumption of energy and water, the company also advocates the use of renewable energy. In terms of innovation, DSM continues Intensify innovation and strive to achieve higher performance with less raw materials; in terms of industry cooperation, the company is committed to using investment initiatives to guide the circular economy.
Yang Xiaowei emphasized in interviews: 'We have a special focus on carbon emissions. Dyneema®'s weight is very light, and it is very durable. It requires less energy per intensity unit and is more environmentally friendly during the production process. This is an important contribution to us. ' This major contribution is consistent with the core values of 'Sustainable Development' advocated by DSM, namely the pursuit of a balance between economic efficiency, environmental quality and social responsibility.
SABIC Sustainable Development Project Steadily Advances
SABIC has launched some successful projects in sustainable development. According to Abdullah Haman Al-Farty, executive vice president of the SABIC Petrochemical Strategic Division, SABIC has one of the largest CO2 capture devices in the world in Saudi Arabia. Currently capturing 480,000 tons of carbon dioxide. After the carbon dioxide was recovered, it was reused for the production of chemicals such as methanol.
In addition, SABIC has also cooperated with plastic manufacturers around the world, such as the World Plastic Council established four years ago, to help society better manage plastic waste and support regulators to reduce or eventually Eliminating landfilling of plastic waste, as well as cleaning plastic waste from rivers and oceans.
EREMA: Ready for the opportunity of a recycling economy
Michael Heitzinger, CEO of EREMA Engineering Recycling Maschinen und Anlagen Ges.mbH, told the development trend of the plastics industry at CHINAPLAS 2018: “If you look at the current development situation, you can see that not only the recycling industry is changing, The entire plastics industry is changing, and the industry is strongly influenced by the concept of circular economy! The circular economy concept considers recycling as a key factor in the product cycle, which means that there is a huge opportunity in the recycling industry.
Michael Heitzinger pointed out that recycling cannot be done alone. The interaction and communication of the plastics industry are the key to success. He reiterated: 'I want to compare the recycling economy of the plastics industry as a gear, only through communication (from product design to production). Integrate recycling into the existing process chain. We also cannot save the necessary active communication. The core technology of EREMA - the extrusion process also needs to cooperate with the sorting or cleaning technology, and ultimately how to use the expectations of recycled materials.