UN Report looks at alternatives to conventional plastics for World Environment Day

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In Kenya, UN Environment today published a report assessing the potential of replacing conventional plastics with alternative materials in certain applications. The report outlines a range of alternative materials that can be used to replace single-use plastics where possible. There are situations – particularly in the medical field – where plastic provide an essential use. But often, natural materials and alternative technologies can be used to break humanities addition to disposable plastic. This is particularly true for consumer products as these represent a large amount of the plastic pollution contributing to marine litter.

The authors highlight a range of plastic materials that frequently cross our paths – from plastic food containers to synthetic clothing, to the loose fill that is often used to protect fragile products during transport – and identifies them as among the ‘main culprits’ of marine plastic litter.

Twenty-five case studies from around the world illustrate a wide range of applications to reduce our dependence on the unnecessary use of plastics of disposable plastics. The report contributes to the debate on how to make our use of the planet more sustainable, citing several of the Sustainable Development Goals, including poverty reduction, increased community resilience, and waste minimization.