Five African countries unite to reduce release of hazardous chemicals from plastics
- Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe have joined forces in a new project to reduce emissions of persistent organic pollutants from plastics.
- Chemicals with hazardous properties are added to plastic products and released throughout their life cycles, negatively impacting human health and the environment and hindering efforts to transition to a circular economy.
- The $90 million initiative will support ways to reduce the import, production and use of toxic chemicals in products containing plastics
NAIROBI, Kenya, December 17, 2024 – /Africa Media Agency (AMA)/ – The governments of Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe have launched a US$90 million project to reduce hazardous chemicals in plastics in one industry The emissions-based approach covers the automotive, electronics and construction industries.
hazardous chemicalsinclude persistent organic pollutants (persistent organic pollutants) are used in a range of different plastic products to enhance their properties. POPs remain intact They accumulate in the environment over decades and are released throughout the life cycle of these plastics, harming human health, the environment and the economy. Their presence in plastics also limits recycling, as materials contaminated with POPs cannot be safely reused, recycled or reintroduced into the value chain.
The Stockholm Convention has added to its annexes the global phase-out of persistent organic pollutants, substances commonly used as additives in industrial plastic components. Addressing product design issues to avoid these “problematic additives” is urgent to take immediate action to avoid future tsunamis of hazardous waste and protect human health and the environment.
African countries are both major importers of plastic products that may contain POPs and are also rapidly growing local producers or assemblers. Countries in the region are significant and persistent sources of emissions due to a lack of strong controls on imported items, coupled with limited formal business models for recycled plastic products, low levels of separation of contaminated plastics from recyclable plastics, and a lack of scaling-up of innovative solutions. organic pollutants entering the local and global environment. Although the use and presence of POP additives in plastics is well documented globally, the literature on POPs in plastic products on the African continent is sparse.
“Our country is participating in this project to support the transition from a chemical-based approach by addressing the entire value chain of plastics in the automotive industry, covering all hazardous chemicals contained in this value chain,” said Margaret Molefe, Director of the Department of Hazardous Chemicals. Chemical Management, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, South Africa.
Led by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and funded by Global Environment Facility (Global Environment Facility) and from Basel Convention African Regional Coordination Center for Training and Technology Transferthis Circular plastic and POP-free Africa project Five countries will be supported to adopt and implement upstream policies and financial instruments; work with plastic product designers, manufacturers and assemblers to implement circular economy practices and eliminate problematic products or replace them with more sustainable alternatives; assist recyclers and Collectors separate hazardous plastic components and raise awareness.
“This is UNEP’s first sectoral project to target POPs in plastics, reducing the use of hazardous chemicals directly at source through a circular economy approach. Plastic additives have a range of harmful properties including environmental persistence, toxicity and endocrine disruption , and are ubiquitous, so this project has global significance,” said Sheila Aggarwal-Khan, Director of UNEP’s Industry and Economics Division.
The project will provide companies and regulators in the automotive, electronics and construction industries with targeted training on avoiding the use of hazardous plastic additives, and support fundraising efforts to address plastics containing persistent organic pollutants. It aims to help countries establish sustainable funding sources for the environmentally sound management of hazardous plastic waste.
Each project country selected a work sector (with known use of plastic-containing products and a high risk of POP contamination) based on national context and priorities. By applying solutions in the three areas, successful practices can be replicated within and beyond the chosen area. ” said Percy Onianwa, Director of the Basel Convention’s African Regional Coordinating Center for Training and Technology Transfer.
The project is UNEP Plastics Initiativea comprehensive plan to address the escalating global problem of plastic pollution. It brings together all UNEP’s plastics-related projects into a unified plan focused on initiating and scaling up action at global, regional and national levels. Through collaboration with different stakeholders, ongoing projects and a multifaceted approach, the program aims to accelerate the market’s transition towards a circular economy for plastics.
Over a five-year period, the project will also address existing data gaps for selected industries in each country through comprehensive research on the industry, plastic-containing products and plastic waste. In addition, alternatives to POPs-containing plastics and appropriate technologies for the environmentally sound management of POPs-contaminated waste will be further identified.
Distributor African Media Agency (AMA) On behalf of the Environment Agency.
Notes to Editors
About the Basel Convention African Regional Coordinating Center for Training and Technology Transfer (Nigeria)
The Basel Convention African Regional Coordination Center for Training and Technology Transfer (BCCC-Africa), located in Ibadan, is responsible for building the capacity of African countries to meet the technical, legal and institutional requirements for the implementation of the Basel Convention. It has expertise in the environmentally sound management of e-waste, e-waste inventories and persistent organic pollutant waste, and has programs on extended producer responsibility and Basel Convention Plastic Waste Amendment conversion.
About the Global Environment Facility
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is a multilateral fund that addresses biodiversity loss, climate change, pollution and health pressures on land and oceans. Its grants, blended finance and policy support help developing countries address their biggest environmental priorities and comply with international environmental conventions. Over the past three decades, the GEF has provided more than $22 billion in financing and mobilized another $120 billion for projects in more than 5,000 countries and regions.
About the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
The United Nations Environment Program is the leading voice on global environmental issues. It provides leadership and encourages partnerships in protecting the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling countries and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising the quality of life of future generations.
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