The G7 Climate, Energy and Environment summit, held in Venaria Reale from 28 to 30 April, was the stage for a wide range of issues of global relevance. Among them, the gradual abandonment of fossil fuels, in particular coal, independence from Russian gas supplies, the strengthening of renewable energy sources and support for the development of fusion energy. Particular attention was paid to the issue of plastic pollution. In the final document, released at the end of the event, explicit concerns emerge regarding current and future levels of production and consumption of plastic materials. The urgency of stepping up efforts to tackle global plastic pollution was unanimously recognised.

The goal is to eliminate plastic pollution by 2040, also through support for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) in the creation of binding legal instruments capable of acting at an international level, working on the entire life cycle of plastic and promoting sustainable production and consumption. In particular, a series of targeted actions were outlined in the final document, including the establishment of rigorous criteria for the ecodesign of plastic products, with an emphasis on durability, reuse, repair and recycling. Furthermore, the importance of addressing the problem of unnecessary plastic products, including single-use ones, and dangerous chemicals present in plastic itself was highlighted. Reducing non-recyclable plastic and managing risks from chemical additives have been identified as key objectives, along with internalising the costs of plastic pollution to promote more sustainable behaviour. At the same time, the urgency of addressing the issue of microplastics was recognized, from the reasons why they are produced to the management of impacts on the environment. Improving the management of plastic waste, through separate collection, sorting and recycling, has been identified as a key element, accompanied by the establishment or strengthening of extended producer responsibility schemes.

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Plastics and environment at the G7 (Polimerica.it)