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CURBING PLASTIC POLLUTION | 17

TOWARDS MORE A PROMISING SUMMARY
COLLABORATIVE SCIENCE
Presented as a summary, the final session of the
“We need to encourage global cooperation to ac- summit took place on Saturday 26 March 2022 in
celerate plastic recycling and redesign”, pointed out the presence of HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, who
structural biologist John McGeehan, from the Uni- pledged to support the next editions of this annual
versity of Portsmouth (United Kingdom), who set event in Monaco: “Let us make sure that the energy
up a meeting with his colleague, chemical engineer present in this room is renewable!” the Sovereign
Gregg Beckham from the National Renewable En- proclaimed with enthusiasm. After a review of the
ergy Laboratory in the US, who declared: “We have main discussions and conclusions of the Summit,
a very narrow window of opportunity, but we can UK chemist and sustainability leader, Tony Ryan,
do it”. OBE, Professor at the University of Sheffield, spoke
about the genuine value of carbon in plastics, a view
Speeding up the sharing of the best possible scien- that could lead to a more sustainable plastic eco-
tific data and analyses (the elapse between scientific nomy.
breakthrough and publication is often long), was one
of the recurrent themes of the summit. Thanks to the At the end of the summit, which opened up new
open-mindedness of the delegates attending, brand international collaborations, the experts met for an
new data were shared within the group, already ad- evening of discussions at the Oceanographic Mu-
vancing the discussion on future directions and the seum of Monaco and agreed to meet again at the
best deployment of scientific resources. next Monaco Ocean Week for the second World
Plastics Summit.

FROM A GLOBAL TREATY
TO CHEMICAL RECYCLING

Providing an overview of the ways in which the global IN
plastic issue is managed, the first session outlined incinerated
the milestones for the Global Treaty on Plastic Pol- FIGURES
lution put forward in February 2021 by the United
Nations Environment Assembly. The data shared 19%
by American oceanographer Kara Lavender Law 460 million tonnes recycled
and her colleagues revealed an exponential rise in of plastic produced in 2019 9%
plastic pollution which requires urgent attention if we worldwide, generating 353
hope to achieve large-scale mitigation. Microplastic million tonnes of waste. 50%
contamination - an associated problem – has been (source: OECD)
reported not only in the ocean but also in the atmos- 22%
phere where it follows other circulatory systems.

uncontrolled
During the session on plastic recycling and redesign, ■ 3.5% of greenhouse dumpsites controlled
the potential circulatory management of polymers gas emissions responsible landfills
and textiles was explored by several speakers. The for global warming: the impact
following sessions were focused on chemical recy- of plastic products made from
cling, biocatalysis innovations and plastic redesign.
fossil fuels, caused by their use or
their degradation, (source: OECD)

■ 2 to 6% of atmospheric particles
consist of microplastics.
(source: Brahney & al., Science, 2021)